Battlefront: Gate to the New World
by paomayo
Summary: Shortly after the end of the Galactic Civil War, the galaxy began to rebuild from the ashes. Unknown to many, a hypergate in Endor appeared suddenly out of nowhere, where the fate of both Falmart and the Republic rests in the hands of unlikely soldiers. They will explore and fight an enemy thought to be already vanquished.
1. Chapter 1 - The Hypergate

_All trademarks and properties are part of their respective owners._

 **XXXXXXX**

 _ **At last, the Galactic Civil War has ended and the ALLIANCE TO RESTORE THE REPUBLIC has evolved into the NEW REPUBLIC.**_

 _ **With peace and balance to the Force restored, the planets that were ravaged by years of battles began to start repairs from the scar of day's past.**_

 _ **In the forest moon of Endor, an X-wing patrol squadron was conducting their usual duties to maintain the peace...**_

 **XXXXXXX**

Close to the Endor system, two T-65B X-wing starfighters of the New Republic were conducting a patrol within the system. While the patrol is usual, the planet is signifcant in galactic history. For one, it is the planet where the Alliance to Restore the Republic, or commonly called the Rebellion and acts as the Republic's predecessor, triumphed over the Galactic Empire and it is the sight of the Empire's biggest losses. Among those is Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, who eventually returned to the light side of the Force, and the dreaded Death Star.

"This is Halo 1, we are approaching Sector 4. Nothing to report so far." The X-wing pilot said in his comm link. He is in his late 20s and was wearing a customized helmet featuring the Alliance Starbird on the left and a blue double stripe pattern on the right.

"Affirmative." The commander on the forest moon base replied. "We should be having a smooth day again. Continue with your patrol, over."

"Copy."

As they flew calmly within space, debris from the previous battle can be seen including detritus.

"Still have a lot of space junk, eh?" Another pilot who is younger than his superior commented. "I wonder how much materials and credits are spent building that dreaded space station."

"A lot, obviously. It's like trying to manage Coruscant with all the population enjoying their new-found freedom."

"What about Admiral Ackbar?"

"Oh, he's keeping things alright at Yavin. Should be no problems when we get back and he's getting his retirement in a short while."

Suddenly, one of the pilots spotted something with his scanners.

"Hold it...Halo 1, I'm picking up an unknown energy signature at Sector 5." Halo 2 reported. "Possibly a stray ship."

"Copy, let's investigate." The leader agreed and the X-wing pilots began to fly to the suspected area. "Lock S-foils at attack positions just in case."

When they got to the site, a hypergate is the only thing seen in space.

"What the...Halo 1, you see this?!"

"Yeah, it's a hypergate. I wonder what's it doing near Endor."

Halo 1 began to communicate with the base to report their findings.

"This is Halo 1, we have spotted a hypergate at Sector 5." The leader reported. "Request support over."

"Affirmative. Mark it on the database for archival purposes." The base commander responded.

Halo 2 began to think of a few ideas.

"Mikrak, what happens when we step inside the hypergate?" Halo 2 asked.

"Probably a bad idea in my case." Halo 1 responded. "Beside, we don't know where it leads. Maybe another planet or one with remnant Imperial activity. It's best if we stay away for now until we have the order to do so."

Then, the hypergate was activated in a sudden moment.

"Uh, should we go in now?"

"You said that we are not suppose to cross inside!" Halo 2 rebuked.

"I know, but maybe just this once."

"Okay then...but don't blame me for this."

The two X-wings crossed the hypergate. Shortly after, they then exited from it to see a planet in front of them.

"Wow!" Halo 1 exclaimed. "Is that a planet?"

"Looks like. It kinda...it kinda looks like Alderaan." Halo 2 followed while comparing it to the planet destroyed by the first Death Star early on. "We should check it out."

"Agreed. Let's go."

The X-wings then changed the settings of their S-foils to normal flight as they began to enter the atmosphere. When they did, they can see the mountains and the rolling plains in front of them.

"You're right. It looks like Alderaan." Halo 1 admitted.

While they continue to fly in the sky, an unusual creature was flying ahead of them. Lightly resembling the condor dragon of Endor, they were surprised by it. As well, a figure wearing clothing not found in the galaxy was riding it.

"You see that? It looks like a guy is riding it."

"It is fascinating indeed, we should check what's below." Halo 1 suggested. "Watch your backs."

Halo 2 nodded in agreement before the X-wings landed in a nearby forests. They got out and armed their SE-14C blaster pistols for defense. They also brough their astromech droids down to maintain their starfighters. They then walked along the forest and began to explore.

"Looks peaceful down here." Mikrak commented. "Sternbolt, you got the same feeling?"

"A bit. But otherwise, okay." Sternbolt answered.

"Hehe. I wonder how would the guys at Mos Eisley react when we found this planet."

"They won't take it a bit well, so we better be careful."

While walking, they can see movement on their scanners.

"Hold on, I'm picking up movement." Mikrak reported. "Just stay calm. We don't know if the locals are friendly or not."

The lifeforms began to close in on the pilots, prompting Sternbolt to try and talk their way out of trouble.

"Uhh...we...are...friendly! We mean...no harm!"

The movements stopped before one of them closed in on the pilots. The lifeform is a male with blonde hair and different clothing. What's more distinguishable is his ears. They are pointed.

"Are you people Imperials?" He asked in a slightly different language.

"Uh...no...we aren't." Sternbolt answered. "We...are...from the...Republic."

""Republic?"" The creature wondered. "We don't have it here in Falmart."

""Falmart?"" Mikrak asked with the same feeling. "Is it a system."

"No, it's a continent. Our home. Also, we don't know what "system" means."

The pilots were confused.

"Anyway, do you have a settlement for us to rest for a while?"

"Yes, we do. Follow me."

The pilots agreed and they began to follow him to the settlement.

"By the way, I'm Hodor Marceau. Who are you."

"I'm Max Mikrak." The leader introduced himself. "And this here is my second-in-command, Luger Sternbolt."

"You two have different names." Hodor commented. "My daughter would be surprised by you people."

"You think she'll be fine?" Luger asked.

"Oh, don't worry. She'll get along with you."

 **XXXXXXX**

Hodor and the pilots reached the settlement, where the homes are high above them connected with bridges, reminiscent of those found in Endor.

"Here we are." Hodor showed the settlement to them. "Make yourseves confortable."

"Thank you, Hodor." Max thanked him.

They continued to Hodor's home and they found a female quite similar to Hodor with her features of pointed ears and blonde hair. He then began to wake her up.

"Tuka, Tuka. We have visitors." He told her and she began to wake up.

"...mmmmnngghh...dad."

"Good, you're awake."

She then saw the pilots who are waiving their hands.

"Uhh...hi." Luger greeted.

"Who are these people, dad?"

"They are friends. They came here peacefully." Hodor assured her.

"Oh, if that's the case, I'm her daughter, Tuka." She introduced herself.

"I'm Luger. Nice to meet you." Luger extended his hands towards Tuka before the latter hold his.

"You're a fine lady if I say so myself." Max commented.

"Oh, thank you."

"Speaking of which, what is it with your clothes?" Hodor asked the pilots.

"Oh, we are pilots flying machines of the sky. Where we came from, we are not from this world."

"So you people are sent from the gods above?" Tuka followed.

"No, we're not."

Max then turned his attention to Luger.

"It looks like the people here didn't went to space before. That's a problem for sure when they see it for the first time."

"Will they cope with the others back at Endor?" Luger asked.

"Let's provide them with help and encouragement as much as possible. Hopefully, they won't be afraid."

Luger nodded. Then, the beeping from their scanners surprised them as well as Tuka and Hodor even more.

"Kya...what is that strange sound?!" Tuka jumped with shock.

"Hold on, we need to check." Max replied. "Luger, check the scanners and see what we've got."

"Got it." They then spotted a large blip on the screen.

"Looks like we have a big one not far ahead. You think it could be a large creature?"

Tuka and Hodor were concerned.

"Tuka, go with them." Hodor told her. "I'll keep the fire dragon distracted."

"You sure, father?"

"You'll be alright, my daughter. They'll keep you safe."

Tuka was getting sad seeing that her father is risking his life to protect her. They exchange a hug before Hodor began to say some words.

"May the heavens guide you in your journey."

"I will...dad."

"Max, Luger, take Tuka with you and get out of here. A beast known as the flame dragon will attack the village."

"You got it, Hodor. Stay safe out there." Max replied.

They they split up when they got to the ground. Then, the roar of a "flame dragon" can be heard and when it appeared, it began to attack the village and scare the pilots.

"What is that?!" Luger frantically asked.

"That's the flame dragon!" Tuka answered. "We need to get out of here!"

Max fired his blaster pistol to no avail.

"That thing is just as protected as an AT-AT!" Max commented. "We need to head for our X-wings!"

"What is an "AT-AT?""

"Long story, we need to go!"

The villagers then attempted to fight back but the dragon began burning them and eating z few more.

"AAAAAAGGGHHH!" A villager screamed.

"YUNO!" Tuka shouted in fear.

"GOO!" Luger followed.

Tuka was being led by Max and Luger away from her home as they head for the X-wings. The villagers' attempt to stop the attack became futile.

"There it is!" Max shouted after spotting the X-wings. "R3, we have to move!"

The astromech droids began to position themselves to be coupled within the starfighter. As the pilots began speedy preparations for take-off, Tuka was surprised by the units.

"Are you leaving me behind?!"

"Don't worry, we'll be back when the dragon is dead!" Luger assured her before changing a few plans. "Rocky, stay with Tuka."

His astromech droid agreed before lowering it to accompany Tuka. After that, the canopies closed before the X-wings took off to engage the flame dragon. Tuka was awed by the engineering and the unusual sound as the X-wings increased altitude.

"Lock S-foils in attack positions." Max ordered. "Also prepare your proton torpedoes for an unguided launch."

"Copy, Halo 1." Luger responded.

They then saw the black smoke and hot flames engulfing the surround area.

"This is bad." Max commented.

The fire dragon is in sight as they began to aim their lasers.

"Got it on sight! Firing now!"

The X-wings fired their lasers at the dragon, hurting it significantly.

"It worked!" Luger observed. "Let's keep it up!"

The dragon attempted to shoot its fire breath at the starfighters but their size, superior speed, firepower and maneuverability made it hard for the dragon to get a hit.

"Head up and kill it outside the forest." Halo 1 suggested. "We don't want any more casualties."

 **XXXXXXX**

In a village far from the forest, the population was doing their business trading, accommodating and exporting grain. A young lady with blue hair was with an old man walking along the path.

"Master, with these supplies in hand, will it be possible to cast the magic spell?" She asked.

"It might be possible at last, Lelei." Her master answered. "We can finally move on to more advanced spells from this point forward. You might be on par with your sister."

"But...you have to be very careful with words. What you'ld said could put us in trouble."

Then, a villager came to them.

"Master Kato, Lelei, there is smoke in Koan Forest!" He reported.

"Is that the flame dragon?" Kato wondered before they head for the vantage point to see the situation.

"What's going on?" Lelei asked.

"A flame dragon is attacking a village." Kato answered.

 **XXXXXXX**

The X-wing pilots are confident of victory. The fire dragon was still tough to beat but finally met its match. Max then decided to use the proton torpedoes.

"Time to end the dragon."

"Roger."

The X-wings aligned themselves for a shot. They fired them at the dragon and they fatally hit it with brute force. The dragon screamed in pain as it began to fall from the sky, officially ending the threat to Tuka's village.

"Huff...hufff...hufff...that's the end of that." Luger confirmed.

"Let's go back to Tuka." Max said.

When they returned to their starting position, Tuka was nowhere to be seen. Luger's droid, R3-X8, also disappeared.

"Tuka! Rocky!" Luger shouted to try and call them.

"I think she may have returned to the village." Max uttered. "Let's go!"

Luger nodded before sprinting off to the village with the lifeform scanner at hand. As guessed, Tuka and Rocky were there in the burning village, with the former looking for her father.

"Faaaatther! Faaaaaaatther!"

"Tuka, Tuka!" Luger shouted.

"Luger?"

Tuka ran out to hug Luger.

"Tuka, what happened?"

"I was looking for my father, hoping that he may still be alive."

Max, however, has a different point of view.

"I'm afraid your father didn't made it." Max answered.

"What do you mean?! He could still be alive!"

"We checked." He showed her the scanner with her as the only confirmed blip. "You're the only survivor of your home."

Tuka couldn't believe what she has heard. Her father, her only parent, was killed in the attack. All she could do is hug Luger tightly while crying in agony.

"...father..."

"I'm sorry." Luger apologized. "We couldn't do anything to save them."

As the mourning continued, Max began to receive a transmission.

"Halo Squadron, do you copy? This is General Talor, where is your location?"

"Transmitting position now." Max answered. "Look for black smoke in a forest."

"Roger that. Were heading out."

Tuka began to wonder about the communication.

"Is that a spirit talking to you?" Tuka asked.

"No. But...we have allies to help you out." Max answered. "Luger...will protect you from now on."

Tuka's sadness was slowly being replace because of the news. Above, a GR-75 commanded by Rand Talor began to pick up the position of the pilots.

"Sir, we have their position." The pilot reported.

"Take us down." Talor requested.

"Yes, sir."

The transport craft began to descend to a nearby open area. Talor and a few Republic troopers began to head for the pilots. When they did found them, Madine began to call them.

"Heeeeeyy!"

The pilots noticed him.

"We're here!" Max shouted.

"Get out of here, now!"

The pilots brought Tuka along to Talor. The pilots saluted shortly after.

"We found the hypergate as reported...AND WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING?! Going through it without orders is dangerous!"

"I'm sorry, sir." Max apologized. "It's a mistake on my part. It won't happen again."

"Good. You're off with a warning."

Max nodded. Then, Talor noticed Tuka hugging Luger.

"Who is she?" He wondered.

"Her name is Tuka, sir." Luger answered. "She's the only survivor in the attack of the settlement."

"Was it armed confrontation?"

"Not exactly, sir. A creature known here as the "fire dragon" attacked her home and killed all but her. We got her out to safety."

"I'm sorry for her loss."

Luger nodded in agreement before Talor began to offer help to Tuka.

"Miss Tuka, come with us. We'll find you a new home."

"Thank you, kind sir." Tuka replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm General Rand Talor, pleasure to meet you."

Tuka was glad helped arrived.

"Anyway, about that hypergate, we found another one and it is confirmed it leads back to Endor. When we return back, I will inform General Solo and Calrissian about the discovery and maybe we can do further exploration on the planet."

"Thank you." Luger thanked him.

"Tuka, you have my word." The girl was filled with hope.

 _A/N: In light of Disney and Lucasfilm using assets from the Legends timeline like Admiral Thrawn for_ Rebels, _I decided to do the same for this fanfic like the hypergate. There may be a few moments where Skywalker would be in the fanfic and I'll be playing_ Battlefront _again in my PS4. No JSDF forces will be involved._

 _See you._


	2. Chapter 2 - Birth of Dragon Company

The two X-wings and Talor's GR-75 exited from the hypergate to arrive at the Endor sector. As they began their approach to the forest moon, Luger has some thoughts on Tuka and her now-razed home.

"Glad to be back on Endor. Whew!" Max sighed. "Luger, feeling okay?"

"Ummm..." Luger tried to say a word.

"Still haunted by what happened back there?"

"Yeah. Losing a father or an entire parent is the most heartbreaking moment a child could ever experience."

"Many of us do lost our parents back at the time the Empire was still around, kid." Max explained. "I've lost mine when the Imperials launched an attack on Naboo via weather manipulation. That's why I've joined the Navy, to set things right."

"I see. I've never lost any of my family but...it feels sad."

"Don't worry. We have nothing to fear now that the bucketheads are restrained."

Luger began to slowly smile. The beeping of Rocky helped calmed him down also.

"Thanks, Rocky."

"You're starting to feel better now." Max observed. "We can relax when we get back."

After entering the atmosphere, the three spacecraft began their final approach to the Republic base, where it was sitting at the site of the Death Star's shield generator. The GR-75 landed at its landing pad while the X-wings landed at the hangar. As the transport began to be serviced, Tuka followed Talor as they exited the spaceship. The former was suprised by where she is.

"Welcome to Endor, Tuka." Talor said to her.

"Whoa! What is this place?"

"This here is our base of operations, one of many in the galaxy."

"What is a "galaxy" anyway?" Tuka asked.

"It is a place where countless worlds inhabit. Endor is one of them."

Tuka was satisfied by Talor's answer as they enter the base. Inside, species from different worlds shocked her, ranging from Rodians to Mon Calamari and Sullustans, as they roam freely with their human counterparts.

"EEEEEKK!" She shouted in fear while attracting attention from personnel. "HELP ME, PLEASE!"

"Calm down, Miss Tuka." Talor assured her. "None of them are going to hurt you."

"Huh?"

"They have the same goals of preserving peace and freedom, so there is no discrimination within the ranks."

A Besalsik, known for their characteristic four arms, began to approach Tuka to say encouraging words.

"Do not be alarmed." The Besalisk assured her. "We are here to help regardless."

"Really?" Tuka cautiously asked.

"Yes."

"Oh by the way, his name is Krel Daslik of the Besaliks." Talor introduced. "He's one of our heavy weapons specialists."

"Nice to meet you, young lady. I'll be keeping you safe and confortable in any situation."

"O...okay." Thr girl answered nervously. "I'm..."

"Uh...is she okay, sir?" Krel asked.

"It's her first time getting out of her world." Talor said. "She's kinda shy."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...didn't know it was your first time here."

"That's okay. I'm Tuka."

"Krel Daslik, at your service." The Besalik introduced himself.

"Can you show her the room she'll be staying?"

"Of course, sir. Tuka, follow me."

The girl nodded as the two began to head for the room. Talor, for his part, began to use the holographic communication system to discuss their findings to General Han Solo.

"General Solo, sorry to bother you on short notice." He greeted.

"Ah, that's okay." The former smuggler replied. "I had other things to worry about outside of marriage and all."

"I know it's kind of hard of you but...we need you to come to Endor when you have the time."

"What to do you mean, general?"

The moan of his fellow co-pilot Chewbacca indicates that he has to continue the refitting of certain components of the famed _Millennium Falcon_.

"Alright, Chewie, I'll be there. Sorry general, but I have to attend important matters."

"Okay, but if you are interested in another world, we could send Chancellor Mon Mothma and Leia Organa to launch..."

"Wait!" Solo reacted. "You said "another world," right?"

"Yes, Solo." Talor confirmed. "But to get there, we have to cross the hypergate."

"I thought hypergates were from an old age. Why would they activate all of a sudden."

"That, we don't know."

Solo has some hard time with the discovery. With marriage and a few other things keeping him busy, he decided to adjust a few of them.

"Alright." Solo agreed. "I'll be there to see the new planet."

"We'll do."

The hologram transmission ended before beginning to do another one with General Lando Calrissian.

"How are you doing, General Talor?" Lando greeted.

"I'm fine, thank you. I need you to assemble an expedition fleet and report to Endor."

"It should be no problem. We are currently at Sullust with three star cruisers and smaller ships on stand-by."

"Excellent."

 **XXXXXXX**

In the Imperial Senate at Sadera, a meeting was held to discuss economic policies for the Empire. Senators began to exchange some small bickerings while the emperor, Molt Sol Agustus, was listening quietly.

"How much should the tax rate be implemented for all imports?" One senator asked.

"About six percent for initial imports and onto eight percent ten months after implementation." Another answered.

"Are you sure this would work? We need to recoup the suwani we used mostly for grand construction projects. Our people are beginning to suffer."

The emperor began to intervene.

"Silence!" He demanded and the senators complied. "With our economy slowing down and our reserves almost dry, we need to pray that a miracle can happen."

"And what miracle can we get after it is granted?" Marquis Casel doubted the emperor's words.

Suddenly, a dragon rider approached the Senate with a disturbed look on his face.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Your Majesty, but I have disturbing news for you!" He said.

"Young rider, can you explain what "disturbing news" you have brought here before me and the Senate?" Molt asked.

"My liege, yesterday, I have spotted two unusual flying creatures flying right beside me and my wyvern. They have those red patches and they emitted a strange and loud roar as they flew away from where I'm flying."

"Where have they went?"

"I don't know. I didn't see them but I do heard from locals that they are near Koan Forest at the time the flame dragon is unleashing its rage. When I returned to check them once more, all the villagers could recover is the body of the foul beast with unusual injuries, one of which having the largest in its chest."

The senators were shocked by the revelation.

"What unusual force could do such a thing?" One asked.

"Did magic became involved with the slaying?"

Molt was calm in the face of the news and decided to prepare the next course of action.

"Rest up for now." Molt suggest. "When you are done, inform Piña and the rest of the Rose-Order of Knights to investigate the area. You can leave."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The rider replied gratefully.

The senators were praying for his success as the rider left. A guard began to wonder about the emperor's daughter and her ability to do the task.

"Are you sure your daughter would achieve the goal as you suggested?"

"I hope Piña can do well alongside her plaything. She was obsessed of being a knight when she has other things to worry about." Molt didn't give a clear answer.

 **XXXXXXX**

In the far reaches of space, a _Vengeance-_ class Star Dreadnaught was leading an Imperial fleet as the officers began to perform their duties. In the bridge, an officer began to report their findings to Admiral Hun Axier.

"Admiral Axier, I have brought interesting news for you." The commander said.

"You found something?" Axier asked.

"Yes, sir. Our sensors have detected two energy signatures followed by one more on the Hulkark system. I'm not sure if it's a stray ship but it could be that the New Republic has managed to find the hypergate to Hulkark."

Axier began to show a slight smile of interest.

"So they did found it, eh? Pretty interesting."

"What should we do, sir? Should we launch an ambush?"

He then began to plan his next move.

"Send probe droids to Hulkark for further surveillance. Prepare your troops on stand-by and have our TIE squadrons ready at short notice. For now, all we can do is to keep watching and see what they are up to."

"Yes, sir. But...I fear that the Republic would respond to our advances."

"That won't be much of a concern." Axier assured. "With the Civil War lost, they will launch massive military cuts in hopes the past mistakes of the Old Republic won't be repeated. We can use that to our advantage."

"As you wish." The officer saluted before leaving. Outside, the probe droids were launched to Hulkark as the surveillance mission begins.

 **XXXXXXX**

Krel led Tuka to her room, a small-sized one originally meant for stranded crewmembers of starships. Ironically, Endor was closed to intergalactic shipping due to the hypergate which would attract attention.

"Here you are, Tuka." Krel said to her. "Nothin' but the essentials for a warm stay."

"Thank you, Krel. I'm grateful that you would provide help."

"I'll get you some clothes and food for you. Wait here."

As Krel left, Tuka sat on the warm bed which is close to the one in her home. She began to reminisce her time in the village before a familiar voice can be heard.

"Tuka? Tuka, you there?"

"Yeah." She responded. "Come in."

Luger arrived to see her.

"I see that Talor has provided you with a refuge while you are here."

"Yes. When I saw those unusual creatures in this place, one of them extended a hand...well, one of his four hands. He was so kind to me that I began to wonder if the others share the same to me. Madine wasn't even afraid."

Luger began to understand her story.

"Well, everyone in this base share the basic things of freedom and love." Luger explained. "Before, we are at war with an oppresive entity known as the "Galactic Empire." Non-humans were being discriminated based on their traits. Their policies were a burden to many of us. Eventually, we rallied against them and although we've lost many of our friends, they were defeated."

"Is the "Empire" here big?"

"Yeah. They almost took control of the galaxy and some systems were fractured. Over time, we stand together."

Tuka was having a bit of a hard time understanding Luger's story. While she wasn't around, the Rebellion and the Empire fought to either free or control the galaxy. Then, Krel arrived with food and clothihg.

"Here you go, Tuka. Food and..." He then saw Luger beside Tuka. "You're with her, right?"

"Yep. Ever since I first met her." Luger answered.

"Oh, Luger, he is Krel. The four-armed guy."

"Luger Sternbolt, nice to meet you." The pilot introduced himself while shaking hands with the Besalik.

"Krel Daslik, nice to meet you." He did the same.

"So I'd guess we are all helping her, eh?"

"Pretty much."

 **XXXXXXX**

The next day, selected soldiers of the Republic were inside a briefing room as Talor and Admiral Gial Ackbar in hologram was preparing the information needed before heading out for the other side of the hypergate.

"How's your sleep, Luger?" Krel asked. "It may be a long day ahead of us."

"Pretty much okay, in my opinion." Luger replied. "Tuka's preparing to come with us for the trip."

"You sure command would do that?"

"She was missing home when she first left. But one more thing that worries me is the locals. Would they welcome us warmly or attack us?"

"Let diplomacy do the work first."

Max then arrived.

"I see that you two are getting to know each other." He greeted.

"Oh, Max. You know Krel, right?"

"Yeah, when we first met back at Jakku." He began to explain. "Before I left, the engineers were having a problem with my S-foils. Eventually, they traced it to the servo actuators. We can't get a replacement in time for the fight, which would mean that the cruiser we were on could be destroyed at any moment."

"I noticed the problem and told them that faulty wiring could be the cause." Krel said further. "The engineers found the wires and luckily, we have spares. Max then left to fight the TIEs."

"So you know about schematics, right?"

"Not just that, but I ripped apart many other machines to study for their weaknesses. That's why I decided to specialize in heavy weapons."

"Wow. I would like to try that out."

"You will." Krel finished.

Ackbar began to start the briefing.

"All rise." He said and the soldiers complied with a salute.

"Please be seated." Talor followed.

When everyone was in their seats, the briefing commenced.

"I would like to say good morning to you people here. Now that Talor has selected you for this daunting task, he will explain the details for the mission."

Talor stepped forward before showing a hologram of the planet and the hypergate.

"Yesterday, our two X-wing pilots standing here today has discovered a planet beyond the hypergate near the system. Currently we don't know much about both of them and we are about to send scholars and technicians to study the latter. As well, Chancellor Mon Mothma has made preparations for a diplomatic mission to the planet."

"That brings us to you, people. You are selected because of your skills, talents, and resolve to fight for peace. You will need to be prepared for any encounters with probable hostiles as I fear that the Empire may have remnants still fighting."

"As of now, you will be under Dragon Company of the New Republic Special Forces. You have two weeks to prepare for this task."

"Good luck and may the Force be with you." Ackbar finished before the hologram transmission ended."

 **XXXXXX**

Two weeks after the briefing was held, Dragon Company has made preparations for the expedition. Chancellor Mon Mothma was there to hold a speech of inspiration. Surprisingly, Tuka, after spending some training with New Republic soldiers and instructors, joined the company wearing the standard uniform.

"Talor told me to come with you for this." She said. "I could help."

"You did training?" Krel asked her to which the latter nodded in reply. "Good."

"Tuka, we'll stay close to you should you need help." Luger offered.

"Thank you."

Mothma began to start the speech.

"Good morning, soldiers of the New Republic. I have came here to see you prepare for a potentially dangerous task. In the days since the Galactic Concordance was signed, we are in the process of bridging wounds and divisions left behind by war. However, we believe that remnants of the Empire could still be out there waiting for the right time to strike again. That's why the New Republic has picked you to aid our diplomats in securing the peace we always wanted. To finally end the evils plaguing the galaxy for far too long. May the Force be with you all."

The soldiers saluted as they began to head out for the transports. Above the planet, Ackbar's fleet was also preparing to head out for the unknown. Luger and Max were in their X-wings to serve as escorts. Onboard the MC80 Star Cruiser _Home One_ , Ackbar was in the bridge overseeing the fleet when Talor came.

"Admiral, all ships and diplomats are accounted for." Talor reported. "We should be heading out shortly."

"Good work, general." Ackbar lauded. "All ships, head out for the hypergate at sector 5."

"We are on our way." Solo said while piloting the _Falcon_. "Chewie, time to get going."

The fleet began to head for the hypergate, which is big enough to fit large capital ships like the Imperial Star Destroyer. When they entered the hypergate, they could be awed by the lasting technology the builders created. When they exited the hypergate, the planet is in sight.

 _A/N: The second chapter is done. As suggested by Mandalore the Freedom, other cultures and races from GATE will appear to help the heroes in their finest hours._

 _See you._


	3. Chapter 3 - Incoming Contact

As the New Republic fleet entered the orbit of the mysterious planet, the crew and starfighter pilots would do nothing but marvel at the beauty of such. Inside the _Falcon_ , Solo and Chewbacca were surpised.

"Would you look at that?" He uttered. "Talor was right about it."

Chewbacca growled in reply.

"I know, buddy. Just give them some time."

Max and Luger were providing escort when Talor began to contact them.

"Halo Squadron, you are requested to head for Home One at once. The team is ready for departure."

"Affirmative, general." Max responded. "We are heading in now."

The X-wings turned to _Home One_ for landing at the airlocked hangars. As they began to touch down, the crew guided their starfighters to cleared zones for them to dock. When they did land, their thrust engines were turned off to allow the crew to safely service the vehicles as the pilots disembarked.

"Well, time to get going." Luger happily uttered.

"You sure?" Max asked.

"Well...yeah, we are going back after all."

"I have a really bad feeling about this."

The two walked to the command bridge to assemble with Tuka, Krel and the rest of Dragon Company. When they did, Talor and Ackbar were waiting for them.

"Alright...if there are no further objections, we shall begin." Talor greeted.

The planet was revealed in a hologram to better understand their landing point.

"After conducting recon for the last eleven days, we have so far found 97 settlements and populated areas located in a rather large continent." Ackbar explained. "According to our recon teams, the continent here is named "Falmart" by the locals, which so far includes humans, "cat-people," "orcs," and the mysterious "elves.""

Tuka began to feel a bit uneasy.

"How can the New Republic ever managed to do this in such a short time?"

"Remember the ships we used?" Max asked. "They're one of the many ways we explore planets, alongside probe droids and speeder bikes."

""Probe droids?" "Speeder bikes?""

"In due time, Tuka. In due time."

"Our landing point is at a hill named "Alnus."" Talor briefed. "The locals said that it is a holy site where a mysterious structure known as the "gate" appears on very rare occasions. You will have the provisions of two T2-B repulsor tanks at your disposal and a T4-B heavy tank as well. Medical and repair droids will be provided."

"Then why did the Republic picked such a landing point if it was considered holy?" Krel questioned.

"That's a good question. It is the only suitable landing point far enough from nearby populated areas. It would attract attention and, potentially, Imperial recon units. If there are no questions, good luck."

"And may the Force be with you." Ackbar finished.

The Dragon Company saluted before leaving for the X-wings, GR-75s and various other transport frigates. After boarding, they left the airlocked hangar and the safety of the New Republic fleet to "Falmart" to conduct further exploration and contact.

 **XXXXXXX**

In the vicinity of Koan Forest, the villagers volunteering to remove the carcass of the flame dragon were busy with their work. Some Imperial soldiers were assigned to guard the site from any hostiles.

"I thought the flame dragon can only be beaten by powerful magic." One of them who is new said.

"Indeed." An Imperial soldier said while holding his shield down. "I wonder about the same thing. If I remember correctly, a few powerful sorcerers were known to have defeated the great Minotaur before retrieving the Rokude pear while a plague hit Crety two months ago."

"What happened back at the city?"

"The plague hits only the women there and returned as reanimated corpses to infect others. The sorcerers made quick work on them and managed to get the cure in time."

"That's scary."

"Yeah, same thing to me." Then, he saw something in the distance. "Huh?"

Within the dust clouds, the flag of the Rose-Order of Knights flew proudly while the female knights led by Princess Piña Co Lada rode with their horses in a swift manner.

"Milady, there it is!" A silver-haired knight said while pointing at the carcass.

"Yes, I can see it." Piña replied. "Follow me! HAIYAAA!"

The knights then reached the site where an Imperial officer waited for their arrival.

"Your Highness, you are here." The officer greeted.

"How's the progress of the recovery efforts?" Piña asked.

"Well, we are half-way done and we have found the injuries the rider reported days ago. Our sorcerers will study the beast and find the source of the attacks."

"Good work. In a while, get some rest to recover your energy."

"Thank you, milady. We will..."

Suddenly, a strange sound filled the air making the knights and the others wonder what it is.

"You hear that?" Another villager uttered. "Something tells me that noise is not from a dragon."

"Yeah...but, it does look like magic is involved."

Then, a knight with blonde "drill" hair looked at the sky and saw two unusual flying objects resembling shields with their dull white plating and two small ones resembling dragons.

"Huh?! Milady, everyone, look up!"

Many saw the same flying objects, surprising them in the process.

"Kyya...what is that?!" Piña reacted.

"They look like flying shields!" Another knight described. "And those smaller offsprinngs could be from those unknown wyverns the dragon rider saw days back."

Piña and the blonde knight began to wonder where the flying shields and "dragons" are going.

"Princess, where do you think "they" are going?" The knight asked.

"It looks like they are heading for...huh!?" She suddenly felt surprised.

"Milady, what's wrong?"

The princess has an answer that will shock them.

"They are heading for Alnus Hill."

The answer sent shockwaves to everyone.

"Then we better get going and see what we are up against." The silver-haired knight uttered.

"Yes, Panache." Piña then turned to the Imperial officer.

"I'm coming with my men."

"No, stay here and continue with your work. We'll handle this."

"Of course, Your Highness. We'll stay here."

Piña nodded before returning to her horse.

"Let's go! HAIYA!"

The knights left for Alnus.

 **XXXXXXX**

The transport frigates and the X-wings landed at the hill before Dragon Company left it via boarding ramp. As the other ships with the tanks carried began to be guided by some of the crewmembers for safe drop-off, Krel head for Max who is looking at the scenery.

"Max, what do you think of the scenery here?" Krel asked.

"Well, it reminds me of Naboo...on the ground at least." Max said. "Me and Luger once compared it to Alderaan and after seeing this place, it feels like it has a mix of both."

"Been through there once when me and my squad at the time were preparing for any assault before we head for Jakku. For a change, it feels like war never happened."

"Yeah."

Luger and Tuka arrived.

"We can hear you both, you know." Luger uttered.

"What were you two talking about?" Tuka wondered.

"Uh...we are comparing this world to two others, Alderaan and Naboo." The Besalisk answered.

"What are "Alderaan" and "Naboo?""

"Kid, it's pretty hard to explain the first so I'll head for the second instead." Max began to explain. "Naboo...it's something like here. Rolling hills and plains, blue skies. A world of paradise where only a few notable battles were fought there. Yet, its beauty is preserved throughout."

"Whoah! I would like to go there."

"We might."

A New Republic officer came to inform them for a field briefing.

"They are assembled near one of the frigates. We better do the same."

"On it." Max replied and the four friends met up with the company to be briefed with Madine on hologram.

"Alright, all of you here are here so I'll provide some details." Talor briefed. "There is a city northwest of the hill and its size could be of economic importance to this world. Not that we don't know their standards yet but I want you to investigate that city and make contact with the officials there."

"What happens after, sir?" One soldier asked innocently.

"From that point, it will be all up to you people to decide."

Many of the company were concerned.

"What do you mean, general?" Max asked.

"You may have to follow on with the request of the people here on this planet if given. It would benefit us with good relations. A simple 'yes' or 'no' could mean the difference between life and death."

"Affirmative."

"I bid you good luck." The transmission ended.

"So...what should we do here?" Another soldier asked.

"How about set-up camp for the night?" Tuka suggested.

"Good idea." Krel agreed. "We still have to assemble the tanks and set-up a point where the fleet above can find us just in case."

"I certainly won't disagree." Max followed.

"Alright guys, time to get going!" One soldier shouted and everyone began to set-up tents and camouflage netting for X-wings and other equipment. The tanks, some in a partially-disassembled state, were slowly removed from their cargo holds as the parts are gently placed for safe-keeping.

 **XXXXXXX**

By nightfall, the camp was finished and portable lighting kept it well-lit for the people to see. Tuka was wandering within the perimeter as she saw the stars above her. Then, Luger arrived.

"I was a bit worried about you." He confessed.

"Oh, I'm fine, Luger. Nothing to worry about." Tuka replied.

Luger still has some thoughts of her father Hodor.

"You think your father is watching you feeling alive and well?"

"I think so. If he was alive right now, I would tell him what I have seen back on Endor and the people I have met. Even your fleet."

"Good you said some nice words."

Tuka smiled.

"Get some shut-eye. We have a long day ahead."

"Where are you going, Luger?" Tuka asked.

"I'll volunteer myself to do a night patrol...to keep myself relaxed under the stars."

"You won't get some rest as well?"

"Don't worry. I've been through this time of night plenty of times before." Luger assured.

Tuka began to worry about him.

 **XXXXXXX**

A few hours have passed and much of the company fell asleep. Some were assigned to guard the camp for the night with Krel and a New Republic soldier being among those.

"See anything?" Krel asked.

"Nothing on my scanner." The soldier replied. "Who could have thought that this planet is among a few with no knowledge of space travel?"

"Don't blame them for that. Maybe, we can spread the knowledge for any interested parties."

"Can't say. But..." He then saw Luger joining in.

"You're assigned, right?"

"Decided to volunteer for this." Luger replied.

"Good. We could use some extra eyes and ears for the duty." The soldier sighed before drinking from his canteen. "Whew. That's refreshing."

"Anyway, you saw anything?"

"Not yet, so far." Krel reported. "At that rate, we could move out tomorrow without a hitch."

Luger nodded. Then, Krel's scanner beeped loud enough for them to hear.

"See something?" Luger asked.

"I've got multiple hits on the screen." Krel confirmed. "It appears that a small-to-medium sized party is heading our way from the southeast."

"You think it could be the locals or Imperial raiding parties?" The Republic soldier wondered.

"Don't know but I'll inform the rest. You two set your blasters to 'stun.' And whatever you do...DON'T SHOOT FIRST! Until we can confirm they are Imperials, no lethal force."

The two human colleagues nodded in reply.

"Good." Krel left and began to use his wrist link to inform the other patrols of their discovery. "This is Patrol Sector 3, I need everyone to prepare for contact. Set all blasters to 'stun' and do not use lethal force. I repeat. Do not use lethal force, over."

Luger began to use his electrobinoculars to try and identify the unknown force. When he zoomed in and enhanced the image, he was shocked by what he saw.

"Huh?!"

"What, what did you see?!"

Luger felt slightly frozen before handing the soldier the electrobinoculars.

"You...you might wanna see this."

"What? What could be worse than...wha?!"

In the electrobinoculars, the image reveals a horde of women, some as young as 18, riding on horseback. The leader is a lady with red hair.

"Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn, oh damn!"

"What should we do? We can't fight those girls!"

"I know what I have to do!" Luger suddenly ran towards the horde.

"Luger, where are you going?!"

"Tell everyone not to shoot!" Luger shouted in distress.

The Rose-Order of Knights have the mysterious objects on sight as the lighting guided them towards what they are looking for.

"Milady, there they are!" The blonde knight shouted.

"I see it!" Piña replied. "HAIYA!"

As they gallop towards the objects, a man is standing between Alnus and the knights.

"Huh?!"

Piña stopped her horse, which prompted the rest to follow. She then began to wonder.

"What is with that strange clothes he is wearing?" She asked herself before deciding to disembark from her horse to meet up with the man. The knights were starting to get concerned.

"You think she'll be alright?" A page asked.

"I hope so." Panache replied. "I don't want her to get hurt."

The man stood firm when she faced her possible opponent.

"Young man, what are you doing in the holy hill of Alnus?" Piña asked.

"We have no intention of invading your lands. We are here to open diplomatic relations with your government." The man answered.

"Speak formally, you are in the presence of the 10th in line for the Imperial throne. Princess Piña Co Lada."

Luger was surprised. The use of the word 'imperial' almost threw him off because it could also mean the Galactic Empire.

"I...I..."

"What is your name, barbarian?"

"Lu...Luger Sternbolt, Your Highness."

"Weird name for a person like yourself."

While the blonde knight is overseeing the situation, she can see more men coming their way.

"Milady, they are coming!" She shouted.

"Huh?!" The two reacted and saw the unknown men coming.

"Not now!" Luger cursed himself.

"Is that yours?" Piña demanded.

While Luger had a hard time answering, New Republic soldiers were on stand-by waiting to apprehend the ladies.

"Attention unknown contact, this is the New Republic." A soldier warned with a loudhailer. "You are trespassing within base boundaries. Stand down immediately!"

Piña was sent to a dilemma. The 10th in line for the throne is up against men with unknown origins. Whatever choices she makes could either save her and the Empire or force them to face certain doom.

"Your Highness, just calm down and follow me." Luger suggested. "I promise we will not hurt any of you."

"But...but..."

"Just breathe in, breathe out. Follow me."

In the end, Piña decided to concede to the "New Republic."

"Fine. I'm coming with you."

"Excellent." Luger signalled his allies to stand down with their blasters. Krel felt relieved.

"Whew!" He sighed. "Alright, back to sleep, everyone."

Piña went to her knights to deliver the news.

"Milady, what's going on?" The page asked.

"Hamilton, we are going inside their base."

"What?!" Many of the knights were shocked.

"I don't think we can stand a chance against them if we draw our swords toward them. We have to see what we are up against."

"I agree." Hamilton replied.

"Come." The knights then followed Luger towards his base.

 **XXXXXXX**

In the Appia Highway, an Imperial convoy was returning to Sadera after conducting an expedition in the deserts west of the Rho River.

"Sir, do you know the rumors of the 'men-in-white?'" One prisoner who surrendered himself asked.

"No, I don't." The captain rebuked. "If they are ghosts, surely we won't stand a chance against them."

"But...one of your archers shot one of them and killed it with you arrows. Another one had that black staff and shot magical red lights out of it that somehow burned the armor of the archer, killing him afterwards."

"If it was magic, they may be mages. The Empire will not fall to a ragtag group of magic users."

"Believe me, it's true! I saw it with my own eyes!" The prisoner insisted.

"Shut up!" He punched the prisoner in the face, knocking him out. "What's with ghosts and fantasies, anyway?"

Unknown to them, a group of Imperial Shadow Troopers were watching the scene while poking fun at the convoy.

"Ya hear that?" One of them asked. "They called the other guys "ghosts.""

"Hehe. Maybe we should give them cloaking devices and see what happens. I wonder what their reaction looks like."

The lead trooper began to use his wrist link to report their findings.

"This is RZ-861, no contact with Republic forces but we heard stories of their "archers" engaging a few of our guys."

"Their paranoia is about to get stronger the more we and the New Republic appear." Axier responded. "Continue your search and sabotage any of their plans."

"Affirmative."

 **XXXXXXX**

In a tent, Piña was sitting down to wait for someone to hold discussions. When the officer arrived, the two began to talk.

"Good evening, Miss..."

"...Piña Co Lada, princess of the Empire." She corrected.

"Ah, okay." The officer began to sit down. "You know, the word you used almost confused me for another entity with that name."

"What are they?"

"They called themselves the "Galactic Empire" but we defeated them weeks ago in a war." He explained.

"Weeks ago?!" Piña felt surprised. "Just recently?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I'm pretty sure you may have a hard time understanding the whole story so I'll leave it up to the soldiers for you to hear about. Anyway, on to the discussions."

The two began to open dialogue.

"Why is the "New Republic" here?" She asked first.

"Originally, two of our personnel discovered your world after a structure known as a "hypergate" activated all of a sudden." He explained. "They entered it and landed in a forest nearby. Then, they made contact with a group of species called "elves," if my saying is correct."

"Yes, you pronounced "elves" correctly."

"Thank you. Then, a few minutes in, they encountered what they called a "flame dragon.""

Piña was shocked.

"They engaged it and was successfully eliminated. The only survivor is an elf girl who is now part of the New Republic Special Forces."

"Wait a moment! THEY killed the foul beast?!"

"Yes, they did."

Piña began to calm down after hearing the answer.

"Okay, okay. What do you need?"

"The New Republic wishes to open up diplomatic relations between us and your world, if that's okay." He offered.

Piña, again, faces a dilemma. By saying 'yes,' the Empire can take advantage of the benefits the New Republic has to offer. Finally, she gave her answer.

"Yes. Yes, we will."

"Excellent." The officer offered a handshake bu Piña doesn't know about its symbolism.

"Why are you offering your hand?"

"A handshake. It means that we have a good run."

Piña slowly put her hand towards the officer's before moving it up and down.

"It's nice meeting you, Your Highness."

"You too, as well." The princess followed.

Shortly after, the officer began to contact Admiral Ackbar and General Talor.

"General, Admiral, we have made successful contact with a princess from the so-called 'Empire,' but do be advised that they are not the Imperials we are aware of."

"Good work, that should clear things up." Ackbar was pleased. "Maintain diplomatic channels and stand by for further orders."

"Affirmative."

 **XXXXXXX**

Preparations are made as Luger, Max, Krel and Tuka are helping to stow supplies for the trip on a transport. The tanks, after a time of reassembly, roared to life with the T2-B's repulsorlift technology starting first.

"That's the last one." Krel said as the loading is finished.

"Whew!" Tuka sighed. "I better get some rest.

"Take some time. We don't have to rush for a while." Max suggested.

"Thank you, sir."

Then, Piña arrived.

"I was wondering about yesterday, Luger, and I would like to apolo..."

The presence of Krel scared her.

"Uh...hi." He uttered.

"KYAAAAA..."

"Calm down, Princess." Luger said. "He ain't gonna hurt you."

"He's right. Many of us aren't human yet we have the same ideas of freedom and harmony." Krel assured her.

"Ar...are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry."

Piña initially hesitated for a moment but after a short moment, she began to calm down.

"Okay, I see it now."

"Good. And by the way, I'm Krel Daslik." The Besalisk introduced himself.

"By the way, her name is Princess Piña Co Lada and she's an actual royalty." Luger explained briefly.

"Whoa. If seeing the royals in Naboo isn't enough, now I'm directly communicating with an actual princess." Max said. "I'm Max Mikrak, Your Highness."

"Nice to meet you, too." Piña replied.

With preparations done, Piña returned to her horse to prepare for her and the Order's way.

"Excuse me, for once, do you know about a city northwest of here?" Luger asked.

"You mean Italica?" Piña replied. "If you need to meet with Count Formal, I could lead you there."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I'll inform my allies."

Luger returned to meet up with his friends.

"What do you got there, Luger?" Max asked.

"She said that a city known as "Italica" is where she's headed. Maybe that is the place we should go."

"If that's the case, time to get going." Krel uttered.

"Yeah." Tuka agreed. "I didn't go out of the forest before so it'll be my first time in Italica."

"Okay. Tuka, stay close to us."

"Alright."

Hamilton went to Piña to air her concerns about the New Republic.

"Do you think Italica would be comfortable seeing these "New Republic" men within their city, including the Formal clan, Your Highness?" She asked.

"Initially, but overtime they'll get along." Piña assured her.

"Oh, right. Maybe I should trust you for this."

The Rose-Order began to lead the New Republic Dragon Company towards Italica as the tanks and transports followed them towards unexplored territory.

 _A/N: Chapter 3 is complete and is so far the longest one in the fanfic._

 _For the Guest's question regarding the existence of the hypergate, it does in the Legends timeline, built by the ancient Gree civilization. Some more EU content may be added in the future._

 _Before I forget, the fanfic will be in memory of R2-D2 actor Kenny Baker. May the Force be with us all._


	4. Chapter 4 - Mission to Italica

As the Rose-Order and Dragon Company are heading for Italica, the heat from the sun slowly began to put a light toll on both the New Republic soldiers and the knights. Some began to sweat while others began to drink their remaining liquids from one of their rations. Luger and his friends were doing the same.

"Huhgg...how long are we from Italica anyway?" Luger wondered.

"It shouldn't be that far ahead." Krel assured while checking his chronometer. "We should be there by early afternoon at 1402 local time."

"Thank goodness. I could last that long."

"I know that we are under the mercy of the sun but we have a job to do."

While Luger was battling the heat, Tuka has her own methods of doing so. Because she has the ability to use spirit magic to some extent, she began to chant a spell.

"Spirits of the Wind, I pray that you bless us with your winds and help these poor souls suffering from the sun."

The winds suddenly blew slightly harder, indicating that the spirits heard her prayer.

"Whoa! How did the winds blew all of a sudden?" One soldier wondered alongside the others. "What's goin' on?"

Luger also wondered and began to approach Tuka.

"Tuka, you did this?"

"Yeah." She answered. "The spirits heard my prayer and they gave you some cool winds to keep you alright."

"Oh, thank you." Luger sighed. "We really needed a cool weather."

"I usually do that when I use my bow, you see. It helps my arrows reach their targets and hit them with ease."

"No wonder you asked for the winds."

"Anyway, just relax for a while. When we reach Italica, there are numerous shades for you and the rest to use."

Piña also began to wonder about the winds before finding out that the spirits were the ones responsible.

"Princess, they have brought us winds." Hamilton said.

"I know. Let's enjoy this blessing while we still can."

Her horse began to neigh its sighs as it wanted to take a rest after some time moving along the path. Max noticed it almost immediately after.

"Get everyone to stop here for a while." He requested via comlink.

The soldiers complied and decided to stop for a while as well. Making use of their time and the winds, some began to inspect the rations and the vehicles to clear out any doubts.

"That heat sure just put some slight jitters on all of us." He sighed before removing his helmet for a brief moment. "A few more miles and we would all be at Italica with a nice shade for us to stand in."

"What about the tarp we packed for the exploration?" Luger asked.

"We won't be staying here for long but it would be nice if we use it for this time."

The two began to make a shade for the soldiers and the knights to shelter in. In under 12 minutes, it was set and many made use of it to cool themselves down.

"Whew. Now that's more like it." Krel sighed while taking off his helmet.

While the group continued to entrench themselves in the temporary shades, the blonde knight closed in on one of the T2-Bs out of curiosity due to its repulsorlift technology.

"Uhhh...is this "thing" floating on the ground?" She asked the tank commander.

"Well, yes it is. It's possible due to repulsorlift technology." He explained. "That's why it floats."

"Ree-pul-sor-lyft...is that magic?"

"Not exactly magic, though. Some people think it is magic doing the work but many of us know it is done by science."

""Science?"" She wondered.

"It's a field where we figure out ways to advance civilization." He continued. "And if you see us wearing and using different stuff, they're few of the results."

"Uh, is that true?" A feminine voice asked which spooked the two.

"Huh?" Both uttered as they see a young girl with blue hair standing beside the tank.

"What are you doing here?" The knight asked her.

"I was just curious about that thing and he said that it wasn't made by magic." The girl explained. "I only stayed here for a few minutes and some of the men saw me."

"So you are curious as well, eh?" The commander assumed.

"Yes, I was."

Then, the voice of an old man can be heard.

"Lelei, where have you been?" He called. "I was worried about you."

"Nothing to fear, master." She assured him. "I was just looking at this and the men were very tolerant enough for me to get a closer look."

"Oh, is that so?" He then turned his attention to the blonde knight "Eh?"

"Uhh..."

"What is a female knight doing over here?" He uttered with suspected indecent behaviour.

"Just calm down, sir." The commander requested. "We don't want this fight to escalate."

"But I just wanted to..."

The old man was suddenly hit with white unknown objects.

"AAWWAAAAHH!"

One of them knocked him out cold after being hit on the head.

"Pervert!" The girl uttered as a sign of disappointment before turining her attention to the two to say an apology. "I'm sorry if he's displaying lewd behaviour to you, ma'am."

"That's okay." She replied. "We almost escalated it into a bloody confrontation."

"By the way, who are you people?" The commander asked.

"I'm Lelei La Lalena, and he's my master, Cato El Altestan." She introduced themselves.

"Speaking of which, what to do with your master?"

"We'll return him to our wagon to allow him to recover. His injuries are not serious."

"Oh, good." The commander sighed before Luger and Krel arrived to check what's going on.

"I wonder what's the commotion about." Luger wondered.

"Yeah." Krel followed. "We heard the screaming close enough for us to check what's going on."

Lelei was surprised by the Besalisk.

"Are you a monster?"

"No need to worry. I'm a friend." He assured her. "I'm just with these guys."

Lelei began to sigh in relief.

"Whew."

 **XXXXXXX**

Five hours have passed and the team continued moving along with their new companions Lelei and Cato. The latter began to wake up after what happened earlier.

"Uhh...what happened?" Cato wondered.

"I'm sorry, master." Lelei apologized to him. "You were about to display lewd behaviour and I have to intervene."

"But...you used magic, didn't you."

"Yes. I know it was meant to be sacred, not to be abused but I had no choice."

Her master began to sit on the wagon after getting up.

"Listen, I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have done that."

"That's okay, I know that's who you are." Lelei forgave him.

Max was using his electrobinoculars to scan for Italica when he spotted a walled city in front of the convoy.

"I think that would be Italica, guys." He said before handing it to Luger.

"Where?"

"Over there." Max then pointed at the direction where he first found it before Luger saw it as well. "Go to Princess Piña and show her the find."

"On it." He then got out to rush to Piña. "Princess, we found a city."

"I'm not that familiar going back there in this direction." She replied before dismounting from her horse. "Can you show me?"

"Right there, milady. Just use this." He began to hand over his electrobinocular. Piña was confused about its appearance.

"What is this contraption?"

"I'll help you." He began to teach Piña how to operate it and her eyes can see the image being displayed. Luger also began adjusting its focus. "Just a little twist here and here and there you go."

To her surprise, she can finally identify the city.

"That's Italica. Thank you, Luger."

"You're welcome." He returned a smile.

 **XXXXXXX**

The city of Italica began to bustle with the many shops and markets sprawling for business activities. The citizens were out looking for goods needed for their families or other businesses. On the south gate, two soldiers were guarding the area when they spotted a convoy heading towards them.

"Who do you think it is?" One asked.

"I don't know." Another answered. "Get someone down there to confirm what we are meeting."

"Aye, sir!" The guard began to head down toward the gate before the others began to signal the gatekeepers to be prepared.

Once the guard exited the town, he can see the Rose-Order coming alongside a group of unknown men and objects.

"What are these doing with the knights?"

Nervously, he began to wait until Piña came in front of him.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." He greeted. "How's your journey with the Order?"

"It's kind of complicated." She answered. "We have visitors coming with me as well.".

"Who are they?" He wondered while looking at the group more closely. "And how come their wagons float without wheels?"

"They are not ordinary soldiers. They are called the "New Republic" and they are here to open relations with the Empire."

"You sure, milady? I'm about to get scared right now."

"They are no threat to us, don't worry." She assured him before a man with different clothing came closer to him.

"Who are you, sir?"

"I'm Max Mikrak from the New Republic and we wish to talk with your government for opening of relations." He replied. "I even have a message from one of our diplomats to be shown to your leaders."

"Oh. If that's the case, I'll inform Count Formal about your arrival."

"Thank you." Max said before the guard ran to inform his colleagues.

"We have visitors! Tell Count Formal we have visitors!"

"We're on it!" One soldier shouted as the news of the new arrivals begins to spread.

Piña has some things to do in preparation.

"Luger, tell your superiors I'll go on ahead to the mansion." She suggested. "We'll talk there."

"Okay, Your Highness." Luger agreed before she left for the mansion.

Not far ahead, Shadow Troopers watch as the New Republic soldiers began to head inside.

"There they are." The lead captain confirmed on his electobinocular before relaying his findings. "This is Hyena Team, we found them. Republic forces are in the city. Transmitting coordinates now."

"Affirmative. Air support will be on their way to your coordinates." The officer replied. "Await further orders."

 **XXXXXXX**

The citizens were fixiated on the "New Republic" men due to their wagons which floats for most of them and some of the soldiers who aren't human.

"Feels like news material for the guys back home." Krel said. "Italica is sure warmly welcoming us."

"You said it." Luger agreed. "Coruscant and other worlds would be fixiated on this if news was leaked out."

"C'mon, you two. Let that part of fame pass by. Remember, we have a mission to accomplish." Max responded.

"Oh, right."

Then, the Italica guard arrived with a message.

"Count Formal wishes to see you in his mansion." He told them. "He express interest with your government as well."

"We'll do. Belce, inform command about this."

"Yes, sir." The Republic trooper affirmed.

As the guard began to lead the four people into the mansion, the citizens began to wonder who they are.

"Are they from another world?" One asked. "If true, it could be that the gods sent them here."

"It could be a miracle for all the lands." Another followed.

"Yeah, news material alright." Max uttered quietly.

When they arrived at the mansion, an man in his elder years was waiting alongside his maids, most of which who look human with animal features.

"I welcome all of you to Italica." He greeted.

"It's also a pleasure to meet as well." Krel replied. "We are from the New Republic on a diplomatic mission. I'm Krel Daslik."

"I'm Luger Sternbolt." Luger introduced himself.

"And I'm Maximilian Mikrak." Max formally followed.

"I am Colt Formal and I'm in charge of the affairs of the city."

"So...this place is a trading town, judging by the baskets of goods they have?"

"Yes, the town is an important one for the Empire and many get their goods from here after the peasants and traders sell their products. Anyway, come inside."

"Thank you." The Count, soldiers and maids entered inside the mansion to start the talks.

Inside, they walked along the halls that are finished finely by this world's standards. After a while, one of the maids opened the door to lead them to the study room where Piña is waiting.

"Count Formal, I have a message from Leia Organa and she is waiting to speak to you."

"Please show."

He began to tell Rocky to come forward with a pre-recorded holo-message. Upon displaying the hologram, Piña and the maids were shocked by Leia's appearance though Colt stood calm.

"Good day, politicians of the new world. I'm Leia Organa, last princess of Alderaan and representative for the New Republic, and if you are listening to this message, we are here to open talks to form relations between the two entities. I know it's kind of weird not being here and seeing me in a hologram but in due time, we will see each other face to face. Your people will be provided protection for the duration of our stay. As well, you may gain training to handle our technolgy for this world's development. Rest assured that this will be for the better...not for the worse as we experienced before. I will see you there."

Piña was dumbfounded by the message.

"SHE'S A GHOST?!" She reacted.

"Not exactly." Luger assured her. "The person you are seeing is talking to you in a hologram. And no, she's not dead."

"Whew!"

"Besides, that is a message. It was made a few days before." Max elaborated. "The hologram technology is commonplace in the New Republic."

"Oh." Colt was interested. "So she's here to talk?"

"Yes, we will contact her shortly."

"Thank you." Colt and the soldiers began to exchange a handshake.

"So everything's gone good, right?" Tuka asked.

"Yeah." Luger agreed. "This is an important diplomatic victory. When we head for the capital, things would never be the same."

Tuka smiled. Suddenly, a explosion can be felt as screaming can be barely heard. The occupants were getting scared before more of it was followed.

"What is that?!" A maid with cat ears reacted.

"That doesn't look like a siege from an army." Colt wondered.

Then, a transmission was heard.

"This is Sergeant Lasskiy, we are under attack by Imperial forces!" Lasskiy reported while under fire. "Requesting assistance! They have Shadow Troopers here!"

Luger and the others were shocked.

"Damn!" Luger uttered.

"They have been performing recon on this world?!" Max followed. "What do they want with it?!"

They decided to perform the next course of action.

"Tuka, Luger, Krel, assist our allies in repelling these bucketheads. I'll stay here and guard our new allies." Max ordered before arming his A280C blaster rifle.

"On it." Luger agreed before leaving with Tuka and Krel.

 _A/N: Prepare your thermal detonators, blaster rifles, starfighters and helmets! The next chapter will be the first battle since the Galactic Concordance is signed!_

 _And some apologies. There would be changes in the previous chapters in regards to Madine due to an event that happened in_ Aftermath: Life Debt _that supposedly leaves him dead. A new officer would take his place if confirmed by official sources._

 _See you._


	5. Chapter 5 - Fragmented Shadows

Italica, once a peaceful trading town, was now dragged into a conflict between Republic and Imperial forces. For the first time since the Galactic Concordance was signed, war has reappeared once again with two opposing factions.

The Italican soldiers began to raise their shields as they try to block the attacks of the Imperial forces.

"Shields up, men!" The captain told his men. "We have to hold them back!"

It suddenly became futile as red lights began to pierce and, shockingly, burn the armour of the soldiers alongside the flesh. Screams of pain can be heard.

"What is this?!" He was then shot by the lights.

In the streets, citizens, men, women and children alike, screamed in fear as Dragon Company began defending the town and themselves from Shadow Troopers who are wielding the signature BlasTech Industries E-11 blaster rifle.

"Put a shield generator behind us! We have to minimize casualties!" Lasskiy ordered.

"Yes, sir!" One of them then threw the squad shield before it activated, saving the Italicans precious time to escape while the soldiers try to reduce the number of Imperials.

"Fall back, fall back!" The they began to move backward while firing back.

Suddenly, one of the Imperials began to activate a thermal imploder at the Republic soldiers. It wasn't long before the latter realized what they are seeing.

"Oh no, take cover!"

They tried to run to escape the blast radius. Then, the imploder detonated, throwing Lasskiy forward while most of his surviving men died in an instant. The impact as well as the force of the explosion wounded him.

"Arrhhgg...uaahhg..." Then, a Shadow Trooper came forward to see the wounded trooper.

"Serves ya right." He mocked. "Hyenas, move forward and find any more Republic scum."

"Yes, sir." A subordinate affirmed before getting a few more of the troopers with him to follow.

"As long...as long as we have our faith and the Force...uaaggh...you will not win!" Lasskiy defiantly declared.

"Hehe. You will not live long to see the light of day. I guess you will join with your fallen soldiers."

After drawing his DL-44 blaster pistol, he began pointing it at Lasskiy to execute him. Suddenly, a blaster bolt hit the Shadow Trooper in the head, killing him. It wasn't long before Krel was revealed to be the one who saved the soldier's life.

"What happened?" Krel asked him.

"No good. We lost most of our men and many of the local soldiers were instantly wiped out." He testified. "The Imperials are on an ambush spree...uaaahh!"

"Just rest up. You'll be fine." Luger suggested. "Krel, find a medic. Tuka, follow me."

"Right." Tuka nodded in reply.

Krel began to carry Lasskiy to an available medic while the duo began to assist. Tuka then began to wonder who will she face.

"Luger, that soldier...is that an Imperial?" She asked.

"Yeah...the Imperial we knew." Luger answered. "That guy with that black armor is an elite type called a "Shadow Trooper.""

"What does he do?"

"He attacks his targets while being invisible. Plus, they are highly trained, so watch out."

"So they have magic, right?"

"Again, no, but they are similar."

Luger began to use his comlink to confirm what they are facing.

"Mikrak, come in." He tried to contact his fried to no avail. "Mikrak, come in!"

"I though that comlink is working." Tuka questioned.

"Yeah, it was. It looks like the Imperials must have set up a jamming signal. We're cut off."

"What can we do?"

"Find the signal and shut it down." Luger answered.

"Right."

Quietly, they made their way to the west gate where three Shadow Troopers were guarding the signal jammer.

"There it is, Tuka. That box over there with a standing stick on top is the jammer."

"Just destroy it and we can communicate freely, right?"

"Yeah."

The two aimed their blaster rifles as they are about to destroy the jammer. Then, one of the Shadow Troopers spotted them.

"Over there, stop 'em!" He shouted and his fellow soldiers opened fire, causing Luger and Tuka to take cover.

"What can we do now?" She asked.

"Outflank them! That's the only way!" Luger answered.

He began to throw a flash grenade as they are about to make their next move. Upon detonation, the Imperial soldiers were blinded by the flash before two of them were killed by the duo. The two factions then resumed fire at each other.

"Luger, I'll try to move to the left!"

"Be careful out there!"

Tuka nodded in reply.

In another area, a T2-B began to make preparations as the Republic began to set up a defensive position. While some soldiers continued to return fire at visible Imperial soldiers, one Italican soldier went to Sergeant Belce.

"What can we do to help, ma'am?" He asked.

"Get the citizens to any underground shelters and tell your men to stay away from the fighting." She ordered.

"But...we want to help, too!"

"I know, but what you are facing is anything unlike you've ever seen."

Sudden she noticed a Shadow Trooper exiting from his cloaking device and is standing behind the Italican soldier.

"Get down!" She shouted and began to draw her DH-17 fast enough to fire a single burst at the Shadow Trooper just as he was about to fire his E-11.

"Re...Republic scum!" He cursed Belce before succumbing to his wounds.

Just as the confrontation ended, the Imperials began to open fire at Republic forces with some using RT-97C heavy blasters to effectively force the latter to take cover.

"There's too much blaster fire!" One soldier uttered before firing back. "Sergeant, awaiting orders!"

"We hold our ground for just a while longer!" Belce responded. "Keep firing!"

A Shadow Trooper began to throw a thermal imploder at the Republic forces.

"Get clear!"

The troops began to stay clear and when the detonation came, three soldiers were killed in the blast.

"That was close!" He uttered.

 **XXXXXXX**

In the Clan Formal mansion, Max was having a hard time communicating with Luger and the others. It wasn't long before realizing what they are encountering.

"Damn! Can't contact them."

"What are you doing, Mikrak?" Colt asked.

"I'm trying to communicate with our soldiers and it appears that the enemy is blocking it." Max explained. "Looks like we are on our own for now."

Colt felt worried for everyone and himself before one of his daughters, Myui, was holding his hand.

"Father, will we be alright?" She asked him.

"Let's hope so. They will take care of things."

Myui then hugged him in fear before Max's scanner began to pick up signals. It wasn't long before he planned his next move.

"I can hear intruders coming this way." The maid with bunny ears said.

"Everyone, find somewhere to hide in this room and be quiet." He said.

Everyone nodded before Max took a peek and saw two Shadow Troopers exiting from their cloaking shield heading in the direction of the room. Carefully, he waited before they entered the room.

"What do you see?" One of the troopers asked.

"Nothing." Another responded. "Alright, prepare for life scanning."

As they are about to use the life scanners, Max quietly began to aim his DH-17. The former began to pick up signals.

"Looks like we have many here. Watch it."

Suddenly, one of them was grabbed in the neck by Max before he shot the other Shadow Trooper who almost instantly aimed his rifle at him.

"Ucckkk...akka..."

"Surprise!" Max uttered.

"Uaaaaahh!" He was meleed immediately after.

"Count, Your Highness, now's the time to get out of here. Rocky, keep scanning for any life forms."

Rocky beaped in reply.

"Oooohh...I'm about to hate this." Piña said.

"You'll be fine. Besides, you have the Republic on your side."

"Your Highness, he's right." Colt agreed. "We need to find a way out of this."

"I-I would rather stay here and die!"

"Don't you want to see your family again?"

Piña was caught in a corner before conceding.

"Fine! I'll come."

"Good. Let's go!" The group began to move out.

 **XXXXXXX**

Krel was carrying the seriously wounded Lasskiy before stumbling upon two Republic soldiers. The latter began to treat him.

"What's the status report?" Krel asked.

"We just received word that Sergeant Belce's forces are under attack." One of the soldiers reported. "Another one is trying to reduce their numbers but he's seriously outgunned and outnumbered."

"Roger that. Is anyone a medic?"

"I am." An available medic responded after arriving at their position. "We'll bring him to the medical droid."

"Thank you. Let's go!" Krel replied before going with one of the troopers.

When they approached Belce's position, they began to see the Empire's relentless attack.

"We need to outflank them over there." Krel strategized a plan. "Find a ladder and surprise them."

"Affirmative." The accompanying soldier replied.

While they maneuver their way to the Imperial positions, the situation on Belce's side began to turn for the worse. They are losing men more due to heavy blaster fire.

"No good! We're down to 14 men!" A soldier said.

"Just put faith in the Force and we will get through this!" Belce answered before firing her blaster rifle.

"Isn't that a little broad?"

"Probably!"

Krel and the soldier then closed in on the Imperial positions, surprising one.

"What the...AAARRRHGG!"

Krel shot him and the duo began to draw fire away from Belce's forces. The Besalisk then began to arm a thermal detonator and he threw it away towards the Shadow Troopers. Upon detonation, it killed three of the five heavy blaster units as well as the majority of the riflemen.

"Now's our chance! Concentrate all fire!" Belce ordered.

The Imperials were caught in the crossfire on both sides as they are the ones trying to fend off their enemies.

"Where are the reinforcements?!" One of them asked.

"They should be here any minute now!"

Right on queue, an unusual howling sound began to fill the air. The Republic were concerned.

"Oh no!" Krel uttered in shock. "Don't tell me..."

As Luger and Tuka finished off the last Shadow Trooper, they can hear the sound as well.

"Is that..."

"What?" Tuka asked. "What is it?!"

Luger began to reveal the answer.

"TIE Fighters."

"Luger, we need to shut down the jammer!"

"That's right. If we want to survive, communications must be clear. We can contact the fleet for help."

They began to activate a detonator and placed it on the jammer before staying clear from it. It detonated, clearing the jamming signal.

"Good! We should be able to contact our guys from..."

"Over there!" One Shadow Trooper shouted after spotting them. Luger and Tuka began to escape from the site while under fire.

"Gotta go!"

Above, four TIE/LN starfighters distinguishable by their black bodies were flying support for the now-weakening Imperial special forces.

"This is Epsilon Flight Group, we are approaching the area." The leader said in his comlink. "We'll monitor your progress."

"Affirmative." A Shadow Trooper responded. "Just hurry up."

"Alright Flight Group, show the Republic how we do things."

"Roger!" The starfighters broke formation to find their targets.

As the battle rages on, the citizens took notice of the starfighters as they began to fire their laser cannons at one of the T2-Bs, knocking it out of action.

"What are those?!" A peasant shouted at the sights.

"Are they...coming to destroy us?!" Another followed before a Republic trooper came.

"Stay away from the open! Take cover!" He shouted and the citizens complied to get to safety.

He then saw Cato and Lelei approaching the area.

"Hey!"

"We're here!" She shouted. "Master was having a hard time running."

"Oooouuhhh...I'm starting to feel joint pains!" Cato uttered.

Krel and a fellow soldiers quickly monitored the TIE Fighters and their appearance surprised them.

"Black TIEs!? Where are they hiding those?" The soldier wondered.

"Yeah! They don't look like the regular eyeballs the flyboys encountered in their missions." Krel followed. "Looks like whoever modified those, they made it even better."

Luger then threw a thermal detonator at the Shadow Troopers before beginning to make contact with the New Repblic fleet.

"Rocky, come in!" He told his astromech droid. "We need you to transmit a signal to Alnus! We need close air support!"

Rocky beeped in reply and began to send the signal to the fleet via Alnus.

"Tuka, get the beacon ready."

"Got it!" Tuka replied before returning fire.

 **XXXXXXX**

Onboard _Home One_ , a Mon Calamari officer began to head for Ackbar after receiving the distress signal from the planet.

"Admiral, we have just picked up a distress signal from Dragon Company." He reported.

"Could they be under attack?" Ackbar asked.

"Likely." General Talor then arrived.

"Admiral, what is going on?" He asked.

"Bad news. Looks like we have found Imperial presence on this planet and they are under attack."

"Just as Mon Mothma warned." Then, the transmission was shown to Ackbar.

"This is Lieutenant Sternbolt, we are under attack by Imperial forces! Request support, over!" He said. "Sending beacon signal now!"

"No way! Could it be true?"

As promised, the beacon was displayed on the map.

"There they are." Ackbar declared. "Get General Solo and tell him to head for the location of the beacon."

"Yes, sir!"

In the hangar, various X-wings and RZ-1 A-wing interceptors began to take-off to follow General Solo in their mission to relieve Dragon Company from the Imperial attack. After exiting the fleet, Solo began to transmit a message for the squadrons.

"Listen up, Dragon Company is in need of support so I want everyone of you to try and provide cover support. We don't know if they have starfighter support so be on your guard."

"This is Red 8, roger." The X-wing leader affirmed.

"Green 9, roger that." The A-wing leader followed.

 **XXXXXXX**

Back in the Clan Formal mansion, Max and Rocky are leading the royals and the maids out of the mansion when they found more Shadow Troopers at the entrance.

"Stand back!" Max shouted before firing at the Imperial forces.

They were firm in their posture, firing bolt after bolt. Max began to change the power pack of his blaster rifle. He then began to arm a thermal detonator and threw it at the Imperials.

"Take cover!" One of them shouted and the explosion claimed the lives of all but him.

Max then fired at the sole soldier and he began to change power packs again. When he peeked again, he wasn't there.

"He...he's gone." Piña uttered.

Colt followed Piña when he found a Shadow Trooper directly behind Max.

"Max, behind you!" He shouted.

"Hrrrraaaa..."

"Whoah!" Max uttered and they are locked in a fist fight.

They began to exchange punches and kicks as Max was beginning to weaken himself from constant attacking.

"You'll never win!" The trooper shouted and he kicked Max to the ground.

"Hwwaaahhgg..."

The confident Shadow Trooper then pointed his blaster rifle at the group.

"Hand's up! It's all over."

Unknown to him, the blonde knight appeared out of nowhere and she drew her sword to stab the trooper at the back.

"GAAHH!" The trooper shrieked before succumbing to his wounds.

"Bozes, glad you are here just in time." Piña thanked her.

"My pleasure, Your Highness."

"How are the others?"

"Everyone is accounted for." Bozes answered. "Unfortunately, the men in black are hitting the Republic forces hard with their "flying eyeballs" firing strange, destructive green light. We need to get out of here fast."

"We can't." Max disagreed before the knight began to treat him.

"Why, my dear sir?"

"We simply cannot get out of here. They have the city surrounded. If we get out, the "eyeballs" will easily pick us off. It will take a miracle to get out of this mess."

"So...you are saying that we can't get out without fighing-nya?" The cat girl asked.

Max nodded. Then, a transmission was picked up.

"Dragon Company, come in? This is General Solo. What's your status?" Everyone was shocked at the voice.

"General Solo, this is Captain Mikrak. We are losing the fight and the Imperials are surrounding us." Max reported.

"Hold on, we're almost there."

Outside, Belce's forces are deeply entrenched as the remaining T2-B was heavily damaged from the TIE attacks.

"We can't stay here!" Belce shouted. "Head indoors!"

Suddenly, one of her men was shot dead by another Shadow Trooper wielding a T-21B heavy blaster rifle. Krel noticed it and began to aim his E-11 blaster. Though his shots missed, the trooper took notice and began to fall back.

"I'll go after him!" Krel said.

"What about the TIEs?" The soldier asked.

"Get anything we've got and try to shoot 'em down! I'll be back!"

Krel began running to the Shadow Trooper hoping that he can end the threat. One of the TIE pilots then found Krel.

"Got a runner here. Moving to engage."

The pilot then fired his laser cannons at Krel but they are off.

"Whoa!" He uttered.

Suddenly, Epsilon 1 began to contact his fellow pilots.

"Epsilon Flight, break off!" He ordered. "Republic fighters imbound!"

"Wha..." He was then hit from laser fire from a X-wing despite his shielding. "Argh!"

The _Falcon_ lead the Republic starfighters to Italica when they found the four TIE fighters.

"There it is. All pilots, engage." Solo ordered.

"Copy, general." Green 9 responded.

A dogfight ensued all over Italica where the Republic has an advantage over their Imperial counterparts despite the upgrades they received.

"Epsilon 3, enemy approaching from your seven o'clock!" One pilot shouted.

The A-wing began attacking the TIE and the pilot was impressed by the shielding.

"Looks like they are not the regular eyeballs. Should take a little more time to take 'em out." The pilot observed.

"I see that." Red 8 agreed. "Green 12, one TIE approaching from your six."

"I can see him." The pilot responded. "Evading."

The A-wing began to maneuver to try and evade the laser fire from the TIE Fighter. Below, the Republic soldiers were relieved that help has arrived.

"Yeah!" Belce shouted in victory. "We got 'em!"

Krel was also happy.

"Nice work, general." He praised General Solo.

In the mansion, Bozes assisted Max in heading out of the mansion with the group when Solo began contacting him.

"Captain, this is General Solo. Help has arrived." He said. "You should relax easily by now."

"Thank you, general." Max replies. "I owe you one."

The surviving Republic soldiers began to drive the Imperials out of Italica. With renewed confidence and optimism, they began to fire at the troopers. The Imperials are now down to only a fraction of the force.

"We can't stay here any longer!" The captain declared. "Retreat! Retreat!"

While trying to escape, one TIE Fighter was being pursued by an X-wing before it was hit from laser fire. It spiraled out of control before crashing at the entrance of the west gate, trapping them. Tuka, Luger and a few more troopers arrived and the surviving members gave up.

 **XXXXXXX**

Peace has returned to the city but the damage sustained from the fight has made rebuilding the city a priority.

"Tuka, Luger." Max called them.

"We're here." Tuka responded before the are reunited. "Captain, I'm glad you are safe."

"Yeah...ugghhh."

"You're hurt." Luger said with concern. "What happened?"

"A Shadow Trooper has given me a big beating but otherwise, I'll be fine."

"Whew! I thought something worse happened."

"Nothing like that happened. That's good news for us."

Then, Krel arrived.

"Guys, we are arranging a meeting between Organa, the other officers and the princess." He told them. "They are thinking of an alliance."

"Really?"

"Yes. They are."

"Krel, thank you for letting us hear."

"That's no problem. I also thank you for getting rid of that jammer."

"You're welcome." Tuka finished.

Luger has some questions regarding the Empire's activites.

"Speaking of which, why would the Empire be interested with this planet?"

"Don't know, but my bet is that they are trying to regroup their surviving forces and try to launch an offensive at Republic positions at any time." Max answered. "We still need to be on guard."

"Yeah." Tuka agreed.

Back at the mansion, Piña was looking at the sights of transport ships sending aid and reinforcements as Colt arrived to do the same.

"Princess, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"The sights of those flying vessels disturbed you quite a bit, does it?" He asked.

"Not until recently. It is only when I met the New Republic and thier Imperial forces that it gave me, and probably you, a question: Are we alone?"

Colt's smile disappeared for a moment.

"We may not be. Some like Krel means that they have a common goal."

"What "goal?""

"That is what we need to know. Our talks with their officers and public figures means that our questions can be answered in due time."

Piña began to smile again.

"Thank you, Colt. You gave me hope once again."

Colt was glad. With that, a new future is about to be written in history.

 _A/N: Okay, this one will be an exciting encounter for you to see for all players of_ Battlefront _and fans of_ GATE _out there_. _And for those who like the movie_ The Force Awakens _._

 _Alright, for some unrelated news. Someone asked me to tell their fans of Daozang that a crossover between_ Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle _and_ RWBY _is probably in the works and that a big_ Strike Witches _project written by Wolfman1997 is in the same situation. I might be doing that that is set in our own familiar Earth._

 _See ya and may the Force be with you._


	6. Chapter 6 - Departure to Discovery

The Imperial officers began to send information to Admiral Axier regarding their special forces' first defeat in Hulkark. The loss touched a nerve on many officers.

"Admiral, we have news that...Hyena Squadron and Epsilon Flight Group were defeated in Hulkark." The officer informed. "We have confirmation of the Republic fleet standing by near the planet's orbit."

"How do you know that?" Axier asked.

"We haven't seen the fleet yet, sir, but they did engage a squadron consisting of X-wings, A-wings and, most notably, Solo's Falcon."

Axier was not pleased with the report.

"So that smuggler managed to get Republic forces to escape defeat?"

"Certainly."

With further confirmation, he decided to inquire about the other team's exploration.

"Do you have more information about what's going on down there, so far? I need to look at our progress with the expedition forces."

"Um, not yet but they are hearing rumors about an "apostle" ravaging many of the local armies' former soldiers. They said she goes by the name of "Rory Mercury"...if the information is correct."

The report made Axier interested.

"Sounds like we may have something of good interest." He uttered. "Is she a Jedi or something?"

"No information, so far." The officer replied.

"Alright, then. Now I want you to inform our surving forces there to be on heightened alert following our loss. I also need heightened surveillance on Republic activity. Let them do the exploration for us."

"Ummm...right away, admiral." The officer then left.

 **XXXXXXX**

At Italica, the _Millennium Falcon_ returned carrying Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 for talks between them and Princess Piña and Count Formal. Addionally, General Talor joined in.

"This here is Italica, correct?" Leia asked Max and Luger.

"Yes, Your Highness." Max answered. "This is the city where we are standing now."

"Good work. Now, we can start the negotiations."

Tuka was surprised by Threepio's appearance.

"Oh, hello there, young lady." He greeted.

"Hello...too." The elf replied. "I'm...Tuka. What are you?"

"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations and can communicate in six million different forms of communication."

"That many?!" Tuka asked with a surprised look.

"Yes. The galaxy we came from has many species and we need to translate their dialogues and writings for people to understand."

The beeping of his fellow buddy droid, R2-D2, made Tuka interested.

"And what is that thing? He looks like Luger's Rocky."

"This here is R2-D2, or Artoo if you prefer."

Artoo beeped a few times to greet.

"Hello, Ar-too."

"Tehe. Both of them are droids and they came in all shapes, sizes and purposes." Luger explained. "The two are like...ambassadors, in our perspective."

"Oh."

"Captain Mikrak, if you may..." Solo requested the three to escort the delegation.

"Oh, right away, sir." Mikrak responded.

"Chewie, get a few men with you and find an overhead position to keep watch on us."

Chewbacca nodded and moaned in reply before ordering the soldiers near him to follow.

"Right away, Chewbacca." One of the soldiers responded.

Talor has a few questions regarding what the Imperials used in the previous battle.

"I just recieved word about the appearance of the black TIE Fighters that assisted the Imperial ground forces at the last battle." Talor said. "Even our starfighter pilots observed them during the dogfight."

"Yes, sir." Max confirmed. "They are definitely not regular versions."

"In a while, we will start the investigation on Sienar about those fighters and study the wreckages of the downed models. Oh, and one more thing."

"Sir...what is it?"

"I was contacted by Republic Command on behalf of Incom. They are looking for starfighters to test out some of their new upgrades. If they are successfull, we can engage more upgraded Imperial vessels on equal terms."

"That...that's good to hear."

"Your fighters are a good candidate."

"No way!" Max uttered.

"I was even planning for Tuka to undergo training on such starfighters."

"Really, general? I'm going to use one?"

"We could be flexible with our operations, so yes, I'm planning for that to happen."

"Thank you, sir." Tuka was excited.

 **XXXXXXX**

In the mansion, Piña and Colt were standing behind the table to be used for the negotiations. The head maid Kaine opened the doors to inform the two of the New Republic's visiting dignitaries.

"Your Highness, my liege. I present the dignitaries of the New Republic." She announced.

General Talor, Princess Leia, General Solo, C-3PO and R2-D2 arrived in the room alongside Max and his fellow soldiers.

"Good evening, Princess Piña and Count Formal." Leia greeted. "I'm Leia Organa of the House of Organa and the last princess of Alderaan. I also serve as senator for the New Republic."

"Her name is Leia Organa, senator of the New Republic, last princess of the House of Organa and of Alderaan." Threepio translated.

Piña was shocked.

"Who is this man in gold armor?!"

"Oh, don't be alarmed by the person with gold plating." Leia assured. "He's C-3PO and he'll be translating."

"I'll be honored to help you in this time of discussions." Threepio uttered.

Piña nodded.

"Speaking of which, what do you mean "last princess of Alderaan?"" Piña wondered.

"Her world was destroyed by the Galactic Empire more than five years ago with a terrifying weapon." Threepio explained. "Some of us witnessed it firsthand."

Piña cannot understand what happened to Leia's homeworld when the first Death Star destroyed it after unsuccessfully trying to dissuade her captors from doing so.

"I...felt sorry for what happened. Is there anything I can do?"

"We can only remember those who perished that day." Talor expressed his sorrow.

"Let's set this aside. The past is in the past now." Colt said. "Who are you, gentlemen?"

"I'm General Han Solo of the New Republic, though I'll be retiring from that position sooner or later."

"Really?" Piña asked.

"Yes, really."

"And I'm General Rand Talor." The second general introduced himself. "I'm in charge of operations of the New Republic Special Forces."

"So...can we start the talks?"

"We may." The dignitaries then began to sit down before Threepio stood beside Leia.

"Now, with the threat of the so-called 'Galactic Empire' looming around, I would say that our world is hopelessly outmatched by their weapons like yours." Piña was the first to ask.

"Based on our recent events and recon missions, I would have no doubt that we are dragged here to your world." Leia responded.

Luger arrived with a paper containing letters and words of this world.

"Threepio, we have the local letters and sample words on hand." Luger informed.

"Oh, thank you for you help." Threepio responded. "Oh my..."

"What can we do to help ourselves?" Colt asked.

"That's the problem." Solo uttered with concern. "We cannot risk another Imperial attack being launched on us so our only hope is that we can help you train to defend yourselves from any Imperial invasion."

"He said that they cannot risk another Imperial invasion coming." Threepio translated. "The only hope of avoiding such is to give you training on our weapons."

"I can help appropriate many of our skilled soldiers to help you." Piña offered. "We can also have the help of nearby kingdoms to aid in your quest."

"I don't think that's enough." Talor frankly replied. "We probably need all the help we can get and based on our recon missions, it's not just humans that roam here."

"What...what do you mean."

"The non-humans, based on our findings, may have advantages in their surrounding terrain. This would allow them to retaliate against the Imperials with ambush tactics."

"Plus, even with your world's combined might, the chances of defeating them are 10,000 to 1." Threepio continued. "The Imperials may be outnumbered but they can still defeat your combined forces with psychological effects using their weapons...or magic, to put thing simply."

Piña was horrified at the assessment. Despite the numbers of the Imperials, their technology far outweigh the disadvantages in numbers.

"After all this time...the beloved Empire has grown. Only to be threatened by a power of unspeakable proportions..."

She knelt sulking before unleashing a loud scream.

"UUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Princess, calm down!" Luger tried to persuade but Piña grabbed hold of his uniform as if to strangle him.

"How can I be calm when the Galactic Empire can truly overwhelm us with the aforementioned magic?! Our world is surely doomed! And...we don't know what will happen to us!"

"Milady, Luger needs you to calm down." Colt sided with Luger. "We can't win without their help."

"That's what we are now in the process of making contact." Leia elaborated. "Tomorrow, we will explore these regions and hopefully gain their trust if you world can truly stand a chance against the Empire."

Piña let Luger go free.

"I will be seeing how well this mission progresses." Colt said.

"Oh, we will succeed." Solo assured. "We will."

Piña then calmed down to make her remark.

"I have faith in your success. Please, keep us safe."

She began to offer the Republic counterparts a handshake, alongside Colt.

 **XXXXXXX**

A group of three Imperial scout troopers were examining their current finds using their datapads as they are about to return to their rendezvous point.

"You think that's enough?" One asked.

"Nah, we'll continue the recon tomorrow." Another responded. "We only explored like what, just half of the west side of the riverbank."

"In that case, we need to send three more probe droids to the north, east and west. MQ-172, inform the fleet about this."

"Right away, captain." The third agreed.

Just as they are about to leave in their speeder bikes, beeping from their scanners alerted them.

"Hold on, we've got movement here." The lead trooper confirmed after reading the scanner. "One signal heading our way."

The team began to arm their blaster rifles and one of the troopers used an electrobinocular to find a young girl with a black dress decorated with red frills. What surprised him was her weapon, a rather huge halberd.

"Huh? That's not right..."

"What's going on?" One of his subordinates asked.

"You both might wanna see this with your electrobinoculars." The team followed and saw what the leader meant.

"A child...with a large axe?!"

As the girl approached the troopers, her blood red eyes set her sights on the 74-Z speeder bikes which was hovering above ground.

"I wonder what are those things floating above the ground. And what are you people?"

"This is restricted Imperial property." One of them tried to dissuade here. "Please, back off."

"You know, the Empire doesn't have any of these if I remember correctly. Something doesn't add up."

"I want to ask a question, in regards to your weapon. Who are you?"

"I'm the Apostle of Emroy, Rory Mercury." She introduced herself.

"No kidding with the locals." The third scout confirmed. "She is the one."

The leader began to use his comlink to report to Admiral Axier.

"Command, we have confirmation of Rory Mercury. Request transport."

"Excellent, bring her in." The admiral ordered. "We need to know what makes her tick."

Rory began to sense something disturbing.

"Is something wrong?" The second trooper asked.

"It looks like whatever kingdom you are affiliated with, they have something very bloody. Emroy would be pleased if he meets with you personally."

Immediately, the troopers began to arm their blasters which are all set to 'stun.'

"Stand down, Rory Mercury!" The trooper demanded.

Her lipstick began to change from red to purple.

"I'm going to enjoy this."

She suddenly jumped as high as a Jedi or Stih and began to swing her halberd to attack the Imperials.

"Fiire!" The troopers then fired their blasters at her while attempting to evade her attacks.

Rory constantly evaded the attacks as she began to slash the soldiers. The Imperials moved from one point to another to try evading.

"She's too quick!" One of the troopers uttered in panic.

"You can't run away from me or Emroy." By sending her halberd down, rock formations suddenly form out of nowhere making the Imperials within the path fly off.

"EEEAAAAGGGHHH!"

She began to head for the troopers as she is about to strike a fatal blow. Then, after struggling to reach the blaster, one of the troopers fired one stun bolt at her.

"UUAAAHHH..." She uttered before falling down, losing her grip on the halberd.

"Who's tough now, huh?" The trooper mocked

Although bruised, he began to get up and help his fellow soldiers get up.

"Is everyone alright?" The second trooper asked.

"I'm fine." The leader affirmed.

"So do I." The third followed.

The leader looked at Rory for a moment before beginning to start their next move.

"We need a stasis booth on hand." He suggested. "I don't want anyone like her rampaging the fleet."

 **XXXXXXX**

The next day, the maids of the Formal Clan were outside the mansion beginning their training in the use of blaster weaponry.

"This is not an easy weapon to master yet so we'll be helping you get the feel of using one." Krel began explaining. "Where we came from, it's a widely-used weapon."

"How widely is it?" The maid Aurea asked.

"Very. Legal, illegal, you name it. Basically, everyone can use it as long as they are responsible enough to handle it."

The maids were spooked by the explanation.

"So...as long as we are careful, no innocent lives are lost?" Another named Mohmu asked.

"Yes. That's why we are trying to regulate the use of these."

They then turned their attention to the makeshift target markers for the practice.

"Okay...without further interruptions, we can start. Get your blasters on hand." Luger said.

The blaster the maids will use are the standard DH-17 blaster pistols.

"Remember, after 100 shots, you need to change the power pack like the one I'm holding in my right hand." He then showed them the pack. "If no red lights are coming out from the silver tip, that means that the pack is in need of replacement."

"So that's what a 'power pack' looks like." The maid Persia commented while looking at the contraption.

"There are various other for other blasters but we'll start with the blaster pistol you'll be using." Krel uttered.

As Piña was looking at the session from the window, Bozes arrived to see her.

"Good morning, Your Highness." The blonde knight greeted. "I hope you've slept well."

"I'm fine, thank you." Piña replied. "I was just looking around for a little while until I stumbled upon this."

Piña then showed Bozes the training session as numerous voices from the outside can barely be heard.

"What are the maids doing?"

"Colt was asking Max if he could train them in the use of "blaster weaponry" like the one from yesterday. His friends are here to help."

"Really? I would like to do that."

"After all, they are here to help us fend off the other Imperials." It wasn't long before Luger gave the all-clear.

"Fire!" He shouted and the maids fired their blasters at the targets. This surprised Piña and Bozes as the red lights began scorching the targets with some relative ease.

"Huh?! This can't be..."

"...happening!"

Piña was still staring at the scene.

"So this is what the Republic and the Imperials can do! I must try it out!" She began to run for the range, much to the shock of Bozes.

"Milady, wait for me!"

Piña and Bozes arrived with slight exhaustion after running downstairs.

"Am I too late?" The princess desperately asked.

"No, you are not." Max assured. "There is still time left so why not you try it out."

"Oh, thank you." Piña volunteered to go first and Max handed her an unarmed DH-17.

"Here's how you use it: You insert the the power pack here and then you switch the safety off over here and you are cleared to fire." Max explained. "Just point it away from you and on to your designated target."

Max then help her aim the pistol.

"Like that."

"Oh?"

"Now, press the trigger like where I'm pointing. This is where it gets destructive."

She slightly struggled to aim and she has some doubts about firing it.

"May I do it? Maybe, I can." She said quietly.

After a few moments, the blaster was fired.

"Whoa!"

"Just slowly fire again until it cannot release the red bolts." Krel suggested.

"Uhh...okay."

She continued firing the pistol at a constant pace until the power pack is drained.

"That's more like it." Luger commented.

The maids were impressed.

"Princess, you just calmly handled it quite well." Kaine congratulated her.

"Thank you, Kaine." She replied. "Now, I'm moving on to face new threats."

Everyone smiled as confidence began to fill their hearts.

 **XXXXXXX**

After lunch, some of the surviving Dragon Company members assembled with General Talor, alongside Piña and Bozes.

"Alright, if there are no questions, we will begin."

The map was shown using the recent photographs.

"Our next point of interest is in the area where a river is situated. Right here."

"The river Rho is the place what your general mentioned." Piña explained. "There are multiple towns and cities such as Crety, Rondel and Telta that lie mostly alongside its riverbanks. Within the depths of these waters, a civilization of aquatic men and women reside there. That is where you will make contact with them first."

"Thank you for the explanation, Princess Piña. I'll take it from here."

"You're welcome."

"Now, for some changes in the structure of your company. I'm afraid that Sergeant Lasskiy and Sergeant Belce will be holding on here for Italica's safety." He apologized. "We can't simply abandon the common people here and the Formal Clan."

"I understand, sir." Max agreed. "We'll adjust to the changes."

"Good, but that is not all bad news. We are contacting the Mandalorians about the situation. It looks like they are still suspicious on what the Empire would do next after the Concordance was signed."

In the middle of the discussion, the _Falcon_ left with Leia and the other officers except Talor.

"Aren't you coming with them, sir?" Krel asked. "You might miss something important with Ackbar."

"Oh, they have some other things to worry about. I was informed that their infant son is in need of attention after the battle ended."

"So they are a family now, I see. It...it just reminded me of my home." Tuka began to remember her father and her village.

"I'm sorry if my explanation made you recall the horrible memories."

"That's okay."

Piña grew worried following the reveal of a horrible event.

"Tuka, we can't undo the past. The only thing now is to look forward for the future, and I know that based on recent experience."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Okay then, good luck and may the Force be with us."

The team began to make preparations for the journey west as they are visited by Lelei and Master Cato.

"We will be joining your journey as well." Lelei said. "I hope to help you in your time of need."

"Thank you for helping us in this." Max replied. "It's greatly appreciated."

"Okay Lelei, we will get the necessary spell books and we will be on our way." Cato told his student.

"Only those aside from food, water and shelter. We need to find a place to set-up camp."

"Agreed."

The knights then began to give a suggestion to their Republic allies.

"We should head for the stables. We will make use of the horses there so that we can stay close to each other."

"What are "horses," anyway?" Luger asked.

"Animals we mostly used for transport. They are mainly reliable." Bozes answered.

After some time making use of the animal, the Republic soldiers were getting used to riding on horseback. They then began to leave Italica with the princess and her fellow knight and two mages.

"Feels like the wind are blowing on your face." Krel commented. "Luger, feeling good?"

"Yeah! I'm starting to like this."

"Anyway, let the wind flow through you as if nature is on your side." Max suggested. "We've got loads of Imperial bucketheads to look forward to."

Luger then saw Tuka coming closer to him.

"Luger, try jumping on that rock over there." She challenged him.

"Alright!" He agreed before making the move. "Yeeeaaaahh!"

"Okay, we'll try it sometime again."

"You said it."

For the Republic soldiers, the joy of riding on a horse is almost exciting as flying through Beggar's Canyon in Tatooine as they gallop through the path.

 _A/N: I present to you chapter 6. Now, new contacts will be made with other cultures in the fight to defeat the Imperial remnants._


	7. Chapter 7 - To Lend a Hand

As the team continued moving on towards the nearest settlement, Max and Luger were using their electrobinoculars to visually scan the environment in the hopes of finding said area to make contact with the locals.

"Nothing on my scope." Luger observed. "Just greenery and the usual dirt path."

"You tried enhancing the image?" Max asked.

"Not yet, I'll do it." Luger then made adjustments to the electrobinoucular with negative results. "Negative, not even that."

"Okay. Just check our beacon and make sure it's still online."

Lelei was busy driving the cart as Cato was sleeping. While doing so, she was curious about the blaster rifles on the back of the Republic soldiers.

"Excuse me. I want to ask what unusual staff you are holding." She asked .

Krel was near enough to hear her request and began to head beside the cart.

"You mean our blaster rifles?" He replied.

"That is what they are called? "Blas-ter rifles?""

"They are standard-issue weaponry from where we came from." He explained. "Everyone who is part of the military are trained on how to handle them properly.

"I see. So about them...are they achieved using magic?"

"Not exactly. It's quite complicated to tell how they work for you, but...they serve the same purpose: to eliminate soldiers."

"Aahhh...I can understand now." Lelei understood. "Even if your soldiers are not mages, you people are well-respected."

"Yup."

Lelei stood silent for a moment before introducing herself.

"I'm Lelei...Lelei La Lalena."

"Krel...Krel Daslik." The Besalik followed with his introduction.

A few moments after, a single X-wing flew past the team as it continued with its reconnaissance mission.

"That's one of their wyverns." Bozes commented on it.

"'X-wing', Bozes." Piña corrected. "They have names."

"Oh...sorry, milady. I almost forgot."

A transmission from the pilot was heard.

"This is Red 20 to all nearby units, come in."

"This is Private Marceau of Dragon Company, we can hear you." Tuka responded with her comlink.

"Oh, thank goodness. At least the area's getting friendlier."

"Do you have any info of enemy activity?"

"Negative so far on my scanners." He confirmed. "You should be continuing with your mission without any hinderance."

"Alright, thank you." The transmission ended with Max being impressed with her ability.

"Glad your ability with the comlink has improved." He lauded.

"Yes, I did. Luger help me with it."

"That's no problem." Her friend agreed. "I taught her how to use it."

Max smiled in acceptance. Then, he looked at the sky and saw the sun going down.

"Captain, looks like we have to stop for a while." The Besalik suggested.

"Yeah, we better." Max agreed.

 **XXXXXXX**

A CR90 corvette carrying Republic military officers began to head towards the surface of the planet Mandalore to negotiate a request for assistance following the attack by Imperial forces in Italica. As the ship entered the bio-domed capital of Keldabe their Mandalorian counterparts led by the green Duros A'den Jarrek were standing by at the landing platform. When the corvette landed, a veteran Bothan officer named Skia Ush'kal and his human colleague Altear Haskiden disembarked to meet with their counterparts.

"I've received your message regarding Imperial activity outside the bounds of the Concordance." A'den greeted with confirmation. "I'm getting worried about what's going on."

"Thank you for hearing about it." Skia responded. "Looks like we have unfinished business with them."

"Follow me, we will head for our headquarters to continue with the discussion."

When they entered said building, they head for a room where they will present their findings.

"We have a video feed from one of our soldiers we would like to show to you." The officer said. "But the planet where this is taken is not found in any known planet or system. It is only accessible via a hypergate on Endor."

"That's okay. All we need is to know who are we facing with."

The officers nodded and began to play the feed. What A'den saw is different from many battles in galactic history. Buildings not found anywhere can be seen with their different materials and roads made of different rocks also appeared. Then, a portion of the video features Republic forces engaging Imperial Shadow Troopers and apparent screaming from civilians.

"Put a shield generator behind us! We have to minimize casualties!" One soldier shouted in the feed.

"Yes, sir!"

"Fall back, fall back!"

"Can anyone read me, this is Sergeant Lasskiy?! We are under attack!"

"They're jamming our signals!"

"Oh no, take cover!"

Static began to cover some moments of the engagement due to the apparent detonation of a thermal imploder. As the video kept playing, A'den was disgusted.

 _"Haar'chak!"_ He uttered in Mandalorian. "I knew it!"

"That engagement was apparently a well-planned attack." Skia explained. "We have no information so far on further Imperial activity aside from those within the Inner Rim and the Core regions."

"...hmmmm, that's not much surprising at all."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been keeping tabs on their activities for quite some time, even before the Concordance was signed. As our suspicions grew following the Empire's defeat, we decided to launch covert operations to impede their development and hopefully stop repeating history. Currently we are sabotaging key Imperial operations and so far we have found out that a few key officials has escaped. One of them was from Sienar Fleet Systems and he was stationed at Jakku at the time before that fated battle took place."

"Did he brought his works with him?" Altear inquired.

"Not all of it, at least." A'den assured. "We've found that he was planning to modernize the TIE series to be on par with your starfighters. And, here is one other thing: there was a prototype star dreadnaught under construction outside the Executor-class within Kuat's shipyards and left only three weeks before the Battle of Endor with a relatively large fleet. It could be heading for that planet you just mentioned."

"Any idea what class is that ship part of?" Skia asked.

"So far, it was confirmed to be part of the Vengeance-class, a new class of starships."

The Republic officers were concerned about the Empire's activities aside from the revelations.

"...um, we also encountered what appears to be black TIEs equipped with deflector shields." Skia reported which caught A'den's attention.

"Then we must speed up our efforts to stop them. I fear that the Empire are making their next move. I will also inform Fenn Shysa about the news you have brought."

"Thank you for your help." It wasn't long before the _Mand'alor_ Fenn Shysa arrived at the Palace.

"Good day, prime minister." Skia greeted him.

" _Su cuy'gar,_ thank you for coming to our home planet." Fenn replied. "I see that you need help concerning the Imperials?"

"Correct." Altear responded. "We have just brought the news to A'den regarding a recent Imperial attack."

" _Burc'ya_ , they have confirmation on Imperial activity...and it's in a planet not on any of our databases." A'den relayed the news.

"Guess that we have found our next interest point. Officers, inform Republic command about our arrival at Endor in days time. We need to prepare for this expedition."

"Thank you, Shysa." Skia thanked him and both parties exchanged handshakes.

 **XXXXXXX**

The team established camp just as nightfall came. With a bonfire lit up, they began to rest before continuing their journey the next day. Lelei, for her part, began to practice telekinesis with Cato.

"You see that large rock over there?" Her master asked.

"I can see it, master. We can start practicing the levitation."

"Just concentrate hard enough and it will lift."

Lelei began to focus her powers on the rock and after some struggling, managed to lift it.

"Master, I can see the rock lifting up." Lelei informed.

"Very good. Someday, you will become a great mage if we keep on practicing."

"Thank you."

Luger, Max and Krel were watching the two as they began to ponder on this moment.

"You know, that levitation thing reminds me of the Force powers the Jedi once wielded in the days of old." Max said.

"You saw that, captain?" Luger asked.

"No, but my father told me all about them based on his experience during the Clone Wars." The captain replied. "They are quite far from the powers of a Jedi but the similarities are still there."

"And even without the midi-chlorians, or the powers of a Jedi knight for that matter, they still have potential." Krel elaborated. "I heard stories from many people...reliable sources, at least."

Luger was curious about the history of the Jedi.

"So about them...what do they do?"

"They are guardians who keep the peace in the galaxy and balance of the Force in check. During the Clone Wars, they played one of their most prominent roles leading the Old Republic to victory. However..."

"What is it?"

Max hesitated for a moment before revealing more.

"...it's because of Order 66."

Luger was surprised.

"'Order 66?'"

"It was that event that brought near-total destruction of the Jedi and the Old Republic, along with the rise of the Galactic Empire. My father told me about it and at one point, he can barely hear a very disturbing voice talking to the clones as if he's ordering them to attack."

"So...what happened to the Jedi right now?"

"Well...with the defeat of the Empire, it's safe to say that they may be in the presence of rebuilding." Krel continued.

"'Reliable sources,' again?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

Almost immediately, Tuka came to inform them of supper.

"Guys, dinner's ready." She uttered.

They then arrived around the campfire where Piña and Bozes are waiting and began to eat the typical dishes of the planet's cuisine. Soup and meat were among the foods served.

"I gotta say, those dishes sure taste good." Max sampled the dinner.

"You should try the Ma-Nuga meat. It's good." Bozes encouraged.

"Alright." Luger tried taking a bite and he found it good. "...ummmmm...it's quite good."

"I'm glad you'd enjoyed the taste." Piña told. "It's what we've raised for the people aside from grains and seafood."

"Thank you, princess. We shall enjoy this for a while." Krel expressed his satisfaction.

While eating, Luger hesitated which caught Lelei's attention.

"Is something wrong, Luger?"

"Umm...nothing." He replied. "I was just thinking of Tuka and many others."

"You mean that flame dragon that attacked Koan Forest days back."

Luger nodded.

"Me and Max witnessed it firsthand...and we are the ones that killed it but at a high cost. Tuka was the only survivor."

"Did you have magic with you at the time?"

"No, we never used that."

"Then, what did you used to defeat it?"

"We used our X-wings to defeat it in battle."

""X-wings?"" Lelei wondered.

"They are our starfighters. Back then, we are starfighter pilots but command has decided that we add ground combat to the list of skills."

"Those "starfighter pilots" must have been dangerous."

"They are. They can turn the tide of any battle just like a general or any other soldier."

Not far ahead, a hooded figure was walking frailly to the camp and after a few more steps, collapsed. The noise of the sudden fall alerted Luger and the others.

"Huh?" They saw the figure lying on the ground and they fear that he may be unconscious.

"I see someone!" Krel uttered. "He must be in trouble!"

"Let's give him a helping hand." Max told his friends. "Luger, get the medpack."

"On it!" Luger replied.

The rest began to head for the unconscious person and began to carry the figure for the camp. It was revealed to be a young male with lightly blonde hair and cat ears.

"He's beaten up really bad." Krel observed. "I hope nothing serious is going on."

"He should be fine." Tuka hoped.

After bringing him to the camp, his cloak was removed to reveal his ragged clothes and was layed on a sleeping bag for him to recover. With the medpack at the ready, they began to treat him using various equipment like bacta bandages. A scan brought relief for the team as his injuries are revealed to be not life-threatening.

"Whew!" The team sighed.

"That's a relief." Krel followed.

"He will be fine in a couple of days." Max said. "He just needs to recover for the time being."

Then, the boy coughed a few times before opening his eyes.

"...ummmmmhhh...where am I..."

"You are in a tent recovering." Luger told him. "You were beaten up pretty badly."

"...uggh...I thank you...for helping me."

"What happened, kid?" Krel asked. "Did you entered a fight or something?"

"I wasn't trying to fight...I was just trying to return home when a couple of bandits robbed me of many of my...belongings..." The young boy told his account. "I managed to flee but after hours of walking...uggkkk..."

"Just breath easily." Tuka suggested. "You are just recovering."

"Thank you...but...who are you..."

"Most of us are not from here and we are from the New Republic."

""New Republic?" I never heard of that."

"That's okay. We'll tell you everything on the way."

"I'm Ennio, by the way."

"Luger." The first soldier introduced.

"Max." The captain followed.

"Krel." The Besalisk followed through.

"Tuka." The elf finished and Ennio smiled in reply.

 **XXXXXXX**

Early the next day, the team set out from their last known position as Krel took over for the scanning of the environment.

"Looks quiet here today." Krel commented.

"It appears not much activity is taking place at the moment. Must be resting up for the day ahead." Luger agreed.

On Cato and Lelei's cart, Ennio was resting beside a few crates as the two sorcerers were driving.

"You know, the Republic guys sure are a great team ever since we left Italica." The old man commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Before, there is another Empire fighting them and they lost despite all their unusual magic at their disposal. Ironically, the Republic has those things as well."

"Wait, two Empires?"

"The one my master mentioned is more formally known as the Galactic Empire and they have recently lost the war against the Republic." Lelei elaborated. "They are from another place."

"Whoa! Really?!"

"Likely, considering the things they have."

Krel then saw a city in his electrobinocular.

"Looks like we have a city here." He confirmed.

 **XXXXXXX**

After entering the city, they began to explore the area in the hopes of looking for more valuable information.

"All we need to do now is to find someone who can give us more information about the inhabitants of the Rho River." Krel said. "Your Highness, do you know someone here who can help?"

"There is a merchant named Gláucio who would often help out other people with some advice." Piña answered. "He is one of the city's best known people."

"Well...give or take, at least we have some help."

While walking, Tuka noticed an old man struggling to carry his barrels onto his wagon and proceeded to help him.

"Here you go." She assured him before lifting the barrel.

"Thank you, young lady." The man replied. "I want to politely ask. What are you wearing?"

"That's a uniform I wore ever since I became part of the Republic Army."

"Whoah! Whatever army you are from, you are treated quite well."

Then, the rest of the team came to Tuka and Piña instantly recognized the old man.

"Gláucio, thank goodness I have found you." She greeted.

"No need to fear, milady." He assured. "Not much has changed."

"So, do you know more about the inhabitants of the Rho River?"

"I think I can help with that. Follow me."

The team followed Gláucio into his shop and the merchant began to show them some information.

"Princess, why do you need to head for the river anyway?"

"Because there is a threat growing between our lands and an enemy not from here." She explained. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"Have no fear because just three days ago, I have found a few of them while returning home. They are in need of some rare resources so I traded some of those to them and in exchange, gave me some pearls. I befriended one named Gaius and he is kindly waiting for my return."

"That's one long-distance friendship." Luger commented.

"Boy, it doesn't matter where you are now because you, I and they can remember."

"Oh where are my manners, those men are from the Republic Army." She introduced the men to the merchant.

"So that's what the elf meant." He was impressed. "You folks quite put up a show. But...I do have to warn you though that they are the masters of the waters. It would be tough to negoitiate with them while in their domain."

"Anyway, thank you for your help." Max thanked Gláucio.

"It's my pleasure."

After exiting the shop, the team returned to their horses as well as Ennio, Lelei, Bozes and Cato.

"Well, what did you get?" Ennio asked.

"It appears that we may have a difficulty talking to them while not attempting to drown." Max replied. "That's one nut we have to solve."

"Excuse me but me and Lelei can help with that." Cato offered a solution. "Our magic powers should allow you to encase you team in a magic bubble to help get close to them."

"Thank you, master. That's a nice idea."

"But...I'm not sure if I can swim." Ennio was concerned.

"Just stay with Bozes and you should be fine. I'll tell you how to communicate with each other while we are separated."

"Good thinking."

"Time to go, guys." Luger said to his friends.

"C'mon, let's go to our horses." Tuka followed.

The rest nodded happily before setting out for the Rho River.

 _A/N: Consider this chapter as an open recruitment poster for the other races because more participants will fill the slots and become one of the best the New Republic has created. The next chapter is where another recruit will come in._

 _EDIT NOTICE: At the suggestion of Mandalaore the Freedom, the Mandalorian capital is changed to Keldabe and adding the original_ Mand'alor _title for Fenn so full credits are given to him._


	8. Chapter 8 - An Unexpected Escape

A gray _Lambda_ -class T-4a shuttle, designation _ST 208_ , was carrying the three scout troopers and Rory in a stasis booth towards the Imperial fleet. The pilots began to transmit their codes for clearance to the lead _Vengeance_ -class ship.

"This is shuttle ST 208, we are approaching the fleet. Sending clearance codes, over."

"Affirmative, ST 208." The controller responded.

In the bridge, Admiral Axier was standing at the elevated platform when one officer arrived to inform him of the shuttle's arrival.

"Sir, ST 208 is approaching the starboard hangar with the specimen." He told Axier. "May I increase our security presence?"

"You may, after all we are dealing with a being just as dangerous as a Jedi." Axier responded.

"Certainly." He then returned to his post to respond to the codes which was later accepted. "Shuttle ST 208, you are cleared to enter."

"Roger that."

At the hangar, squadrons of stormtroopers and riot troopers, complemented by three All Terrain Scout Transport walkers, were on stand-by as the shuttle landed without any incident. A middle-aged officer arrived as the boarding ramp was opened to see the scout troopers carrying the suspended Rory off the shuttle.

"Sir, we have the specimen on hand." The lead trooper reported to Axier in hologram.

"Very good. Take her to the experimentation room."

"On it." The troopers and the specimen left as the officer has some thoughts on her.

"Admiral, are you sure it's okay to bring her in? Based on what those reports suggest, I fear that she may cause chaos within the ship."

"We'll be increasing the security presence around the ship to make sure she never leaves with most of the blasters set to 'stun.'" Axier responded. "Even the surrounding space will be guarded with our fighters to make sure no stolen ship or escape pod leaves the area."

"Ummmmm...as you wish, admiral."

"The scientist will take every precaution to keep her asleep. Things will get messy from that point."

"Affirmative." He relunctantly ended the transmission before beginning to order the nearby troopers. "I want the surrounding area extensively secured. Don't let the specimen escape."

"Yes, sir." The stormtrooper commander responded. "You heard him, on the double!"

The troops left to perform the order as the officer put his hand on his lowered face in disappointment.

 **XXXXXXX**

As the booth is being sent to the experimentation room, the activity within the passages are slowly being tense due to Rory's potential to rampage around the ship. Stormtroopers with their blaster rifles were ready at a moments notice alongside the addition of security droids.

"This should be the area." The captain sighed as a team of scientists led by a man in his late-middle ages with a scar on his right face was waiting for them. "Doctor Gapediera, we are here."

"You made it. How's the girl?" Gapediera responded while looking at the seemingly young child.

"She's still in suspended animation but I warn you to be on guard if you aren't careful."

"Okay, we shall. Bring her in."

"Yes, doctor." His subordinates responded and she was taken inside where a variety of equipment are ready.

Once inside, they carefully turned off the stasis booth as they are about to carry Rory onto the operating table while wearing a mask pumping in a specially-formulated anesthetic gas for humans.

"Easy now." One colleague guided his team. "Careful..."

She was then laid on the table.

"Get some blood samples and see what we can find." Gapediera requested.

One of the scientists began to use the needle to collect her blood samples and send it for testing. The computers began to analyze the composition which made Gapediera curious.

"Would you look at that? Her blood is unlike anything we ever seen."

"What is is, doctor?"

"If the reports from those scouts are true, then she must have some sort of power in her possession. Then again, there is the low midi-chlorian count, not enough to be granted the power of the Force."

"So, whatever that planet has, it's possible to obtain power that is almost similar to the old one."

"Exactly. Prepare the subject for an immediate examination."

"Yes, doctor." Another responded.

Gapediera began to contact Axier to report their initial findings.

"Admiral, we have her blood tests. Whatever power she has, the midi-chlorian count is too low for Force powers."

"What?!" Axier shouted in surprise. "What do you mean she has a low midi-chlorian count?"

"I don't know, sir. We are starting to conduct further examination as we speak. We need to take a closer look."

"I see." Axier then calmed down. "Do go ahead and proceed."

The transmission ended.

"Okay, time to have our hands bloody."

The team then began to conduct the study on her.

 **XXXXXXX**

In the bridge, Axier was overseeing his fleet when an officer arrived with the latest reports on Republic activity.

"Sir, I have the latest reports from our probe droids and agents on Hulkark." He first spoke. "They have identified a small mixed force of female local soldiers and Republic soldiers slowly heading west for a river. There is also a city not far from their position"

"Anything else?"

"One hour ago, they have found blue-bodied humanoids with tails and tridents, sir. The have yet to make contact."

"Thank you for the report." Axier then has a theory on the Republic's intention. "By the way, do you know about the Gungans of Naboo?"

"You mean those creature that roam the depths of the planet's waters?" The officer responded. "I do know them through the databanks."

"Correct. And do you that they have assisted the Old Republic, the Mon Calamari and later the Quarren during the Battle of Mon Cala?"

"Yes, admiral."

"Then, order the agents to stop them at all cost. I don't want them to increase their strength through numbers and alliances. And do tell some of them to prepare a littlle diplomatic mission to look for an alliance with the locals."

"Yes, sir." The officer then left to relay the order.

Axier continued to look into the vast space calmly. Then, a beep from his holoprojector was heard before deciding to answer it. It then revealed a cloaked figure.

"My lord, we have found someone with capabilities almost as similar as a Jedi. We are conducting a study on her as we speak."

"Good, that should help us know the planet's culture and history." The figure responded with an old and slow voice. "Even without a Jedi, Hulkark has some things fascinating we need to uncover."

"We are currently restricting high-profile missions to a bare minimum following our loss from the Republic days earlier. It will not happen again."

"Then I need you to keep it that way and finish with the reconnaissance on the Republic. In due time, they will slowly evolve into the same thing the Old Republic was: a corrupt and self-bickering body."

"As you wish, my lord. We are proceeding."

At the experimentation room, a sample of her skin was collected and, under a microscope, was carefully examined.

"Even those cells look fairly normal to me." One scientist reported. "Doctor, you done there?"

"We're trying but...her body seemed to have regenerated. I don't know why but her wounds are healed so fast." Gapediera responded while observing her body. "Get me Axier on the line."

The scientist nodded and he began to contact the admiral of their latest find.

"Admiral, the specimen...well, her wounds heal so fast it's as if they are not there after a second."

"I see." Axier then began to slowly know what the girl is capable of. "That should give us a good glimpse. Just finish with your work."

"We are on our..."

"Grrraahhhh!" One scientist was attacked by the specimen.

"What the hell's going on?!"

"Restrain her!" Gapediera shouted as they try to subdue Rory "Restrain her!"

"Doctor Wiatsch, what's going on? Respond!" Axier requested before starting to get concerned. He immediately decided to contact Captain Phois, the commander in charge of the defense of the room's area.

"Captain Phois, there has been a containment breach in the experimentation room at starboard side 14. Deal with her with caution."

"Affirmative, admiral. We are on our way." Phois responded.

In the room, most of the scientists and the droids were eliminated as an awakened Rory set her sights on Gapediera who was dragging himself away in fear. Her wounds were healed by themselves, further putting fear into the frightened man.

"WH-WH-WHO ARE YOU?!"

"I am Rory Mercury, Apostle of the God of Death and Darkness Emroy." These were the last words Gapediera heard.

"UUAAAAAAAAA..."

His screaming was cut off as stormtroopers and riot troopers were ready to face her.

"Watch out, men." Captain Phois warned. "She's dangerous."

With their blasters and electrostaffs ready, they closed in on the room only to see the chaos caused by her attacks. Blood, mechanical parts and chemicals were among the results.

"Huh?" They wondered.

Unknown to them, Rory, after retrieving her Apostle clothing, was hiding on the ceiling and began to attack one of the troopers. The rest tried to fight back but the girl was too fast to get either a shot or a reach from the staffs.

"Behind you!" One shouted before the unfortunate trooper was pushed to his colleague.

"Stop her!" Another shouted before suffering the same fate. "Uuaaaaacckkk..."

With her enemies down, she began to hesitate for a moment.

"Now...how do I get out of here?"

She took one of the electrostaffs and began to head out for an exit.

 **XXXXXXX**

Chaos erupted within the bridge as Axier began to inform fellow Star Destroyer captains and officers within the _Vengeance_ to lock down her escape.

"I want the surrounding space on lockdown immediately and I also want the hangars and escape pods within my ship secured." He requested. "She must not return to her planet at all costs."

"Right away, sir." One of them responded before the transmission ended. Another officer came with dire news.

"Sir, Captain Phois and his men were eliminated!"

"Damn her!"

Rory continued on as she hears the alarms and announcements.

"All personnel, enemy specimen is escaping within starboard side 14. Exercise caution while engage her with stun blasters."

As she dashed through the halls, more stormtroopers saw her and began to open fire.

"Over there!"

"Hmmph, too easy." She began to make use of the electrostaff to take down her opposition as the stun beams missed.

"Caref...Haaarrgh..." A stormtrooper uttered before being hit by the staff.

"Kyyaaahahaaggg..." Another followed.

With her latest opponents defeated, she continued her escape. While running away, she caught a glimpse of the vast space as well as the sights of a few Star Destroyers. This made her wonder where she is.

"What is this place?" She asked herself. "And what are those things? Oh well, I have to figure out."

She continued immediately after.

In the starboard hangar, the secondary airlock door began to close as the Imperial crewmen began to take extra precaution to dissuade Rory from escaping the ship. E-Web heavy blasters and a single AT-ST were part of the effort.

"Alright, get ready for what's happening next." A stormtrooper announced. "QD-019, get a few men with you and head for the elevated platform."

"Copy that." Another responded before leaving with a few fellow soldiers. The lead trooper began to contact Axier.

"Sir, starboard hangar is secured. Moving to defensive positions."

"Affirmative." Axier replied. "You have permission to use blaster bolts if needed."

"This is Patrol Group 62, starboard escape pods are secured." Another reported.

"I want everyone to be prepared at once."

Back at the hangar, the troopers and drivers were patient. They aimed at virtually every entry point Rory could use while shouting from other troopers can be heard.

"Fall back, fall back!" One shouted "Gwwaaaahhh!"

"She's in fron..."

For the next few moments, they stood prepared. Then, the barriers were forcibly opened to reveal Rory herself.

"Open fire!"

A volley of stun beams, blaster bolts and turbolaser bolts were thrown into her but she quickly evaded them. Then, she began to jump over the AT-AT and began to hit it with the electrostaff but it barely fried the circuits for a moment. One of the drivers began to get out to attack but Rory electrocuted him before throwing him off the walker.

"What the...Gaaaahhhgghh..." His co-driver was also taken out before Rory threw him off the walker. She decided to go inside.

"Now how does this work?" She wondered while under fire. "What if I do this?"

She made the walker move after holding the controls from the driver's seat.

"And what about this?"

She touched a button to fire two bolts at the walls.

"Ooooohhh...I'll get used to this. Emroy would be pleased."

"Take the walker down!" An Imperial officer shouted.

She managed to get used to the controls and aimed it at the troopers. She fired blaster bolts at the troopers and even some who are using Smart Rocket launchers to try take her down.

"Ahahahah! This is fun!"

Unknown to her, the walker began to catch fire after a missile from a careful trooper hit it.

"Kyyyaa..."

The walker then momentarily exploded and the survivors thought that Rory disappeared.

"Did we got her?" One asked.

"Don't know, stay alert!" The commander responded.

The survivors then carefully made their way to the wreck. Then, Rory appeared with her clothes slightly burned.

"Surprise!" She uttered gleefully.

"What the...fire!"

The survivors then tried to take her down but her movements are too fast to catch up. Using her fists and legs, she meleed trooper after trooper and some were forced to do the same though not as good as Rory's

"Hyyyaaaa..."

"Too slow." She responded.

"Gaaaahhh..." The trooper shrieked before succumbing to his wounds.

"Keep the pressure on!" Another trooper shouted.

Rory, however, was defiant. She began to punch her way through her enemies. Many troopers tried, but failed, to subdue her. Multiple kickings and punches is what all she needs to finally end her fight with the last of the Imperials in the hangar.

"That's the end for all of you, hehehe." She giggled in excitement.

While thinking of her escape, she has sensed a mortal presence near her and she proceeded to head for the control bridge of the hangar where the remaining troopers and an officer were holding firm in their defense.

"Now!" The officer shouted and they began to open fire.

She then proceeded to attack the Imperials.

"Uuaaaaaggghhh!" One of them uttered before his body hit the button for the secondary airlock door to open.

"Okay then, time to get out of here."

In the bridge, the opening of the door alerted the lesser officers below the platform as Axier was outraged by the ongoing event.

"Sir, first starboard hangar has a secondary airlock door being deactivated." One of them reported.

"Get the TIEs ready." Axier ordered.

As Rory returned to the hangar, she saw a vacant TIE Fighter a few meters away on her left.

"Oooh, what do we have here? Maybe Emroy will like it."

She went close to the TIE and entered it from the access hatch. As with her early experience with the AT-ST, the controls are new to her.

"Now how can I use this thing?"

Not far ahead, Imperial forces ran to the hangar in pursuit only to see the stolen TIE take off.

"Open fire!" The officer shouted but their blasters only made a few dents on the solar array wings to slightly limit its performance. It then escaped from the hangar.

"That's not good." One Stormtrooper commented.

As the TIE began to head for Rory's home, the operational TIEs spotted her fleeing from the fleet.

"This is Zeta Group, we have spotted a lone TIE escaping from the fleet." The flight leader reported.

"That's her!" Axier confirmed. "Shoot her down."

"Affirmative, moving to engage."

Inside the fighter, Rory was feeling unwell while trying to pilot it on her way home. Even with her regeneration powers, the effects of space is taking a light toll on her.

"Uuuuuhhh...I'm going to get sick."

She then sensed someone chasing her before laser fire was used on her.

"Huh?!"

The Zeta Group was in pursuit of the rogue TIE.

"Those movements are slowly getting unpredictable." One of the wingmen commented.

"Zeta 3, cover the fourth quadrant. Zeta 2, second quadrant." The commander ordered. "Zeta 5, watch our six."

"Yes, sir."

The Zeta Group began to form up into a small 't' formation to try maximizing the spread of their cannon fire. Rory is not giving up.

"Try getting me, hehe!" Rory dared them eve though a comlink was not available.

The chase was on. Axier can barely see the fight going on.

"I wonder when will this mess will end?" He uttered in disgust before an officer arrived with news from Hulkark.

"Sir, one of our recon units have just discovered something on the ground." The officer informed him.

"What is it?"

Rory was still flying the starfighter in an unpredictable fashion as the Zeta Group was having a hard time getting a shot with their current formation.

"All units, break off and engage freely." The Zeta Group flight leader ordered.

"When will this stop?" Rory wailed wondering.

Not far ahead, three X-wings of Eclipse Squadron were conducting a patrol near the planet.

"Sure is a nice place to stop by." One commented on the planet.

"Yeah, it is." The leader nodded in agreement. "There is still sector 12 to patrol."

"I copy."

As they calmly fly, one of them detected unknown contacts on her scanners.

"Hold on, I'm detecting multiple unknown contacts heading our way." The female in the group reported.

"Copy, Eclipse 3. Alright, lock S-foils in attack position and stay alert." The leader ordered. "Looks like we have Imperials."

As guessed, after a few minutes, TIE Fighters were visually seen. But what makes the situation weird is that one of them was being chased and fired upon by its own allies.

"Hold on, are they shooting at one of their own?!" Eclipse 3 wondered.

"We may have a defector here." Eclipse 2 suggested. "Everyone, cover him!"

"Zeta Group, three Republic X-wings spotted." Zeta 4 reported. "Someone get these guys!"

The fight then began to turn heated as a skirmish was underway.

"Ughh...my port wing is damaged but still flyable!" Eclipse 2 reported. "Eclispe 3, watch my six!"

"Copy that!"

The third X-wing then began to track the pursuing TIE and began to fire a volley of shots. It then exploded after taking multiple hits.

"Gotcha!"

"I have eyes on that X-wing." Zeta 2 observed before firing the cannons.

"Aarrhgghh!" Eclipse 3 shouted and quickly saw her top left engine was out. "I'm taking damage!"

Rory was then starting to get concerned and began to turn back to help the Republic forces.

"Okay, this button should do the trick." She spoke and began to fire the cannon to down another TIE Fighter.

"Zeta Leader's down! Damn, we're being pushed back!" Zeta 5 shrieked.

The fight suddenly turned against the Imperials.

"Take 'em down one by one." Eclipse 1 uttered with high morale.

Eclipse 2 then fired the lasers to shoot down the third Imperial starfighter.

"Yeah, thay got him!" He shouted happily.

The last two were down at last as the Eclipse Squadron sighed in relief. Rory decided to resume her return to the ground as Eclipse 1 and the others took the last glimpse of their unlikely saviour.

"Hey, where's that guy going?" He wondered.

"I can't communicate with the starfighter." Eclipse 3 reported. "Is he going to the surface?"

 **XXXXXXX**

The Dragon Company arrived at the Rho River seventeen hours after leaving the city.

"The Rho River...we have arrived." Max uttered.

"Okay, I'll prepare the barrier for you to go underwater safely." Lelei spoke. "I just need to find the spell for it."

"Thanks, Lelei." Luger responded.

She nodded before leaving for the cart to get the book. Ennio and Piña then arrived beside Luger.

"What do you need to do there?" The cat boy asked.

"They need to negotiate with the Rhoians on their alliance." Piña answered. "That's one of the things we need to do for now."

"Oh...okay."

Suddenly, a TIE Fighter is approaching the ground and burning up after reentry from the atmosphere. It is heading their way.

"Oh damn!" Luger reacted. "Take cover!"

The team ran to clear the impact zone and it missed them just in time.

"What's a TIE doing over here?!" Krel asked.

"Don't know. It was likely hit by our patrols." Max suggested.

Then, a figure jumped out of the wrecked starfighter and it was revealed to be a young girl. She then turned her attention to the travelers.

"Ooooohhh, what do we have here?" She greeted them. "Princess Piña and some new visitors."

"Ro-Ro-Rory?!" Piña and Ennio reacted at her.

"You know her?" Max asked.

The two were afraid to answer due to her presence.

 _A/N: Is there a similar scene in a_ GATE _fanfic or a crossover one where Rory enters space for the first time?_

 _Anyway, after a few chapters, the fanfic will take a probable two-week hiatus while I either rest up or update another fanfic. The wait won't be that long and it will be worth it._

 _See ya._


	9. Chapter 9 - Apostles and Overtures

"Ro-Ro-Rory?!" Piña and Ennio reacted at the sight of the feared Apostle of Emroy.

"You know her?" Max asked though the two were too scared to even answer.

"Yes...she was Emroy's Apostle and was often called 'Rory the Reaper!' Many dared not to face her!" Piña answered while still facing uncertain fate.

"Humm...?" The girl wondered.

"Really? "Her?"" Krel questioned.

"Yes, really!"

Rory suddenly took an interest in Luger, going as far as to get closer to him.

"Hummmm...you look like someone I've known before." She spoke to the soldier.

"What do you mean?"

"That...it will be for another time, hehe."

"Oh, come on! I just want to know."

"Still not answering." Rory stood firm with her response.

"Hehehe...fun times." Krel quietly laughed.

"You said it." Max agreed. "It...it...well, never mind. Let's just move on."

Tuka and the rest came to check if Piña and the men were all right.

"Guys, guys! Glad you are safe and...oh." Tuka called them only to stop due to Rory's presence."

"What is she doing over here?" Bozes reacted.

"Everything's fine." Krel assured. "Just some childish play."

"Why did you call it childish, huh?" The girl immediately reacted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just tried to properly describe the situation. By the way, how old are you?"

Rory began to slowly grow mad about the question.

"I thought so. Maybe it's not appropriate to ask such at this time."

"You better." Rory scolded. "By the way, who are you excatly?"

"I'm Krel Daslik, pleasure to meet you. And these are my friends, Luger Sternbolt and Max Mikrak." Krel introduced himself and the other Republic soldiers.

"I'm Rory Mercury. You already know some of the details about me already, I presume." The girl followed.

"Yeah." Max responded.

With questions about Rory mostly cleared, they turned their attention to the wrecked TIE Fighter.

"Speaking of which, what is that thing?" Ennio asked.

"Kid, that right there is a TIE Fighter." Krel answered.

"But it's not black, only gray in color." Piña wondered while referencing the TIEs at Italica.

"This one here is a standard TIE Fighter, more plentiful than our X-wings but they are weak in defense. The black ones you refer to is likely a modified version which we are currently investigating."

"And...here is one other thing: Rory, are you the one flying it?" Luger asked.

"Yes, I was flying it and it gave me some headache." Rory answered.

"Interesting." Krel began to wonder. "Normally, pilots using that and other starfighters of the TIE line are required to wear their pressurized flight suits in-flight but somehow Rory managed to fly all the way here without it. Strange but even more so is how she was able to survive the trip if she ever went to space."

"By the way, even though that impact would have killed anyone in an instant, how did you survive that?"

"That regeneration ability is granted to those who hold the title of Apostle like me. We are fated to roam the lands."

"I see." Luger nodded in reply.

Almost immediately, Max got hold of his scanner to look for any signs of the aquatic race.

"Alright, time to head for other matters. We better start looking for these "Rhoians," if my saying is correct."

"That's correct, Max." Rory agreed.

He adjusted the setting to close-range to look for signs before slowly adjusting to scan at a larger radius. Then, beeping was heard.

"We have contact, right over there." He then pointed at the nearby grasslands before blaster bolts surprised the team. Their horses even began to gallop away from the fight.

"Contact!" Krel shouted just as the team began to take cover.

"Princess, everyone, stay down!" Tuka shouted before immediately seeing five Imperial Shadow Troopers.

"Eleven o'clock, watch it!" Luger warned before Max took one out.

"Got that buckethead!" He uttered.

"What are those?!" Ennio asked while laying low.

"Kid, those are not the Imperials you knew!"

"What do you mean, Max?!"

"We'll explain later. Right now, we have to keep shooting!"

Krel began to prepare a thermal detonator and a few moments after, he threw it onto the Imperial soldiers.

"Grenade out!"

Within moments, the thermal detonator exploded just as those within the blast radius tried to escape. Three of the Imperials were killed.

"There is one more left." Tuka observed.

"Just be careful, we don't know if there are more out there."

Luger began to feel uneasy and after hearing some unknown movements more clearly, he pushed his blaster rifle at the back in a melee.

"Aarrghh!"

When the cloaking field disappeared, a Shadow Trooper was revealed attempting to attack the team in a surprise move.

"Huff...I think that's that." Luger sighed.

"Yeah, looks like it." Rory agreed after sensing that no other hostiles are there.

"Everyone alright?" Krel asked his allies.

"Me and Piña are okay." Bozes responded.

"Same here." Lelei followed.

"Ditto." Ennio finished.

"Thank goodness." Max sighed. "In that case we better...oh, hold on. We have more contacts but it's coming from the water over there."

"It must be them." Lelei spoke.

Then, just as Max and Lelei pointed out, the creatures revealed themselves after breaking the water's surface. They have fish-like tails and hair that look like scales. These were complemented by their blue skin color. They then began to close in on the team.

"Remember, stay calm and act professional." Max reminded the team.

One of the humanoids who is holding a trident and wearing two golden pauldrons to possibly denote rank came closer and saw the burning starfighter wreck out of curiosity.

"What is that "thing" doing over here?" The male humanoid asked.

"We never touched it." Max responded calmly. "Besides, we have just arrived here."

"I see. Oh, welcome Your Holiness Rory."

"Good to meet again, Gaius." Rory responded.

"Wait, so you are Gaius?" Krel asked. "Your friend Gláucio told us a few things about you."

"So you did know him, eh? I guess he wishes to return his regards. Anyway, what are you people doing in the banks of the Rho River?"

"We are here to ask for help, alongside some of the soldiers of the so-called 'New Republic.'" Piña explains their intentions. "A war is brewing up between us and them against the threat of the Republic's enemy, the remnants of the Galactic Empire."

"So that's why you people are here." Gaius expressed his sympathy. "In that case, I will take you people to the council. Follow me."

As Gaius and his brethren began to guide the team to their council of elders in the waters, Lelei and Cato found the page that contains the chant for the bubble.

"Before you continue, we'll be encased with the spell to help us journey underwater." Lelei spoke.

"Please do." Piña responded.

Immediately after, Lelei and Cato began to utter the chant needed to summon the bubble. Once performed, it was slowly formed and began encasing the visitors.

"Let's go." Max said and the team resumed their journey prepared. As they dipped into the waters of the Rho River, the scenery changes from a green field into a blue landscape. Fishes and underwater plant life greeted them on their way to the elders.

"Beautiful." Luger commented. "I've never seen anythink like them before."

 **XXXXXXX**

In Italica, General Talor was consulting with Admiral Ackbar in regards to the recent intel via hologram.

"So it appears that the Mandalorians have managed to get hold of a wealth of information regarding Imperial activities?" The human general began to inquirer. "That's a good sign."

"Indeed, we now have more information about what the Imperial forces are composed of." Ackbar responded. "And also, we have some of the technical specifications for the black TIE Fighters. We have confirmed that they have shielding aside from powerplant upgrades and more efficient solar arrays."

"Then, I beleive that we can start scanning for any Imperial fleet nearby. We'll be ready for them."

"We better because one thing that disturbs us is the presence of another Super Star Destroyer and it left the Kuat Drive Yards just three weeks before Endor."

"I thought the last of it was disposed of back at Jakku." Talor scratched his head in confusion.

Ackbar shook his head in reply.

"In the meantime, I would suggest doubling our efforts to make more contact with the locals and double our efforts to locate any dangerous items. The Imperials must not get their hands on them."

"On our way." Just as the transmission ended, a concerned Republic recon soldier began to make contact with Talor. He then began to open the transmission.

"Sorry to bother you, general, but we have reports of a large army heading west towards Italica."

"Are you currently monitoring their movements?"

"Yes sir, ETA is 8 hours. We have reports of swordsmen, bowmen, those in horseback and what appears to be humanoids of different height and features, all lead by an elderly man with a decorative cape and armour."

Talor was surprised by the recon's observations.

"Dammit!" He shouted away from the soldier and on to the walls.

"Sir, what is your suggestion?"

Talor hesitated for a moment before giving out his answer.

"We'll stick to what we are doing here: do not engage them. Repeat, do not engage them. We'll have to think our way out of this."

"I copy. We'll resume with our duties."

 **XXXXXXX**

As the Dragon Company continued following Gaius, they encountered his brethren's underwater dwelling. The settlement was covered by a similar bubble as what the visitors were using. When they did enter the bubble, Lelei and Cato cancelled out the spell to remove their protective bubble.

"Welcome to Aqua Hortus." Gaius spoke to them before pointing at a large rock formation. "The council is this way, everyone."

"Thank you for guiding us here, Gaius." Max thanked.

As they walked towards the council, they were stopped by two guards. Both of them crossed their tridents to express their current stance.

"Official meetings only." One of them spoke to the Republic soldiers and knights. "Please state your intentions."

"We are only here to speak with your council regarding an alliance." Krel responded politely. "We are no harm to anyone."

Just then, an old-looking aquatic humanoid with a slightly more elegant set of armour arrived.

"That's enough." She ordered the guards. "If we have visitors, at least let them say their opinion out first."

"Oh, sorry about it." The second guard apologized.

"And it's good to see you back, Gaius."

"You too, milady." Gaius bowed his head.

The elderly female turned her attention to the visitors. Despite the four of them wearing strange clothing and Rory being with them, she let out a smile.

"I believe that you people are here to ask for help, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Max responded. "We are looking for help."

"What kingdom do you hail from, young man?"

"It's not a kingdom; we are from the Republic."

""Republic," eh? Well, follow me."

The elder signaled the guards to allow the visitors entry into the building. With entry granted, the team began to walk inside and proceeded to follow the elder.

"I'm Alba El Marinus, one of the councilors of our city." She introduced herself.

"Max Mikrak, soldier of the Republic and, umm, an unofficial ambassador." The leader introduced himself and his team "The others are Luger Sternbolt, Krel Daslik and Tuka Luna Marceau."

"I see. The cat boy?"

"I'm Ennio Luna Flavius, ma'am." The cat boy followed.

"Lelei La Lalena and Cato El Altestan." The old wizard introduced themselves.

"Princess, I see that you and your subordinate is here to help the "Republic" with their mission?"

"Yes, Alba." Piña responded. "We are guiding them."

When they reached the audience room, older humanoids were sitting in their chairs discussing various concerns for the city with the middle being the chief. Alba's appearance made them direct their attention to her alongside their new visitors.

"I wonder who are these visitors travelling with Princess Piña." One of them expressed his surprise. "They don't look like they are wearing anything formal."

"They are from the 'Republic.'" Alba responded. "Gaius and his men have found them while on a patrol."

"No way!" One of the other councilors responded to the sights.

They began discussing about their new visitors. Luger was busy surveying the conversation the moment it began.

"Man, they sure are surprised by you." Ennio commented on the situation.

"No surpise. They are definitely gonna spread the word out after this." Luger uttered before sighing.

"Everyone, standing in front of you is the council of Aqua Hortus." Alba explained. "The chief councilor is Seneca El Tatius."

The chief councilor began to stand up.

"Who are you, sir?" Seneca asked.

"Max Mikrak, soldier and impromptu ambassador for the New Republic." The leader introduced.

""New Republic?"" Some of the council uttered the word while wondering what strange kingdom do they come from.

"Please...explain to us what the "New Republic" is."

"It is an entity that represents all of the interests of many worlds." Luger briefly explained, further shocking not just the council but Piña and the others.

"Did...did he said..." Piña tried to comprehend.

"You are saying that more than one world is part of that, right?" Alba asked for confirmation.

"Correct, milady. Where we came from, there are many other worlds."

Horrified by what she has heard, Piña put her head down feeling scared of what could happen next.

"Princess, are you shocked by this?" Rory asked.

"Yes! Even more than you, the Republic has the backing of many worlds!"

"Just calm down. I'm sure they are generally peaceful right now."

Piña then remembered the previous conversation with an officer back at Alnus the night before leaving for Italica.

"I just remembered! They said that weeks ago, they have won a war against the Galactic Empire."

"A war, eehh?" Rory was intrigued.

"Yes. I don't know much of it yet but I'll be asking them in a while."

"Please tell them your intention of an alliance." Alba requested.

"Thank you." Mikrak responded. "Okay...the reason why we are here is that we want to establish an alliance between your city and the Republic."

"An alliance, you say?" Seneca was intrigued.

"Correct. We fear that this world will be dragged into further conflict between us and the Galactic Empire, our enemy. Minutes ago, we encountered them while en route to the city."

The council continued to discuss the offer among themselves before resuming talks with the soldiers.

"And what makes you think that this alliance will bear fruit?"

"Because of your abilities. We have seen a glimpse of what you can do and maybe we can surprise them to great effect." Luger answered.

"I see. Before we conclude, I would like to ask if we can be provided with whatever things that are useful to our people."

"Training, diplomatic recognition. If you would need something, we can honor that request."

"I think that should suffice for now." The chief councilor decided to conclude the talks. "In the meantime, why not you wait outside and explore the city?"

"Certainly. We will wait patiently." Max accepted. "Let's head outside, everyone."

The team left while awaiting the council's response.

 **XXXXXXX**

Outside the depths of the rivers, a squad of Imperial stormtroopers, some of them being forest troopers, began assembling beside the TIE wreck after its discovery.

"This must be it." One of them spoke. "Our runaway starfighter."

Another stormtrooper began heading for the leader to report his finding on the starfighter wreck and the remains of the Shadow Troopers during the previous skirmish.

"Sir, this is what remained on the agents and...we have not found a body on the starfighter." He told the squad leader.

"How did she survived that? That's un-human!"

Then, a _Gozanti_ -class cruiser carrying two AT-ST walkers arrived and began dropping it off. It then departed back for the fleet.

"This is Tornado 1, walker support is en route." The driver reported.

"Good work." The captain responded. "Men, move out and keep an eye out for Republic forces."

"Affirmative, sir!"

The Imperial forces began to commence the search for the suspected race. Unbeknownst to them, two of the aquatic humanoids were watching them while under the cover of their surroundings. Fearing that their home could be threatened, they began to rush for the council to report their findings.

 **XXXXXXX**

Luger was sitting on the steps leading up to the council building when Ennio showed up.

"Hey Luger, what are you doing here?"

"Nah, just waiting to see if they would accept the offer." Luger answered. "Besides, we'll be reporting back to our superiors in Italica."

"You could have joined Max and the others in looking around the city. They might have sommething you can bring home." Ennio suggested.

"Maybe I should after a while."

Ennio then began to ask about the Republic.

"About the New Republic, is it true...that many worlds are part of that entity?"

"Yes, Ennio. The New Republic has many worlds as members of the government."

"What are they like?"

"Well...it's not just humans that make up the population of the Republic. We have other species joining in because of what I've said earlier."

"That sure is plenty. If I were to see them, I don't know how should I say this to my family."

"Hehe." Luger let out a slight giggle. "You'll be confident enought. I know it."

"Thanks, man. And, about those "Imperials...""

"Those guys with black armour are from the Galactic Empire that was mentioned during our meeting with the council." Luger explained. "They are like the same forces that we have beaten back at Italica."

"Italica was attacked by them?!" Ennio was shocked.

"Correct. That's what happened."

Immediately after, two aquatic humanoids arrived looking tired after minutes of intense activity.

"What just happened?" Ennio asked. "You look like in a rush."

"Sorry to disturb you but we have to report our finding to the council." One of them answered.

"You saw something?" Luger followed.

"Yes...and they are unlike anything we have ever seen." The second spoke.

"Tell us what you have seen."

The humanoids began to catch some breath before they can explain their findings.

"There are mysterious warriors, some wearing white armour and others green ones, and they have some sort of black staff. They even have two-legged creatures in grey. I'm not sure if they are animals of sorts."

The description allowed Luger to instantly recognize the army.

"I knew it."

"Luger...what are they?" Ennio asked.

"The Galactic Empire...they are here." Luger answered. "Come, we better inform the others. You two..."

"Yes?" The aquatic humanoids responded.

"Tell Gaius and the others not to engage them until further notice and lead us to where you found those people. We'll be back to pick you up."

"On it."

Luger and Ennio left to inform the others.

 **XXXXXXX**

After explaining the report of the humanoids, Luger lead most of the team, excluding Piña and Bozes, to the banks of the river onshore. The humanoids then lead them to the site and, as previously explained, Imperial troops were there.

"There they are." Krel confirmed via his electrobinocular.

"Looks like they are hunting someone or something." Max guessed. "I wonder."

Rory then got closer to the four soldiers.

"They are looking for me." She answered.

"Why would the Imperials be looking for you?" Tuka wondered. "Did you made contact somehow?"

"Well, I do saw similar people like them and the next thing, I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I only see a dull interior with various people doing something to me."

"Captured...that's for sure." Luger thought.

"I managed to fight them off and then, I saw a single two-legged creature joining the fray. It was fun to use it but it blew up. Then in my escape, I took control of a...uhmmm..."

"...starfighter?"

"Yeah, that one. I was being chased and then, three different ones helped me out."

This part of the story surprised the soldiers.

"That's definitely a space skirmish between them and our patrols." Krel confirmed.

Then, a noise filled the air and the Republic soldiers turned their attention to the source, a single AT-ST walker.

"Great!" Luger uttered. "Chicken walker!"

"Whatever Rory did, they surely are scared about her escape." Max commented. "We better finish them off before the Rhoians and the other locals are caught in the crossfire."

"You are just a few people. How can you do that?" Rory aired her concern.

"Relax, Rory." Krel assured. "We are specialists; fighting while outnumbered is our game."

"I wanna see you do it."

Max nodded and he signalled his subordinates to move in for the ambush.

"We have to surprise the bucketheads while I go in for the walker." Krel suggested. "Strike fast and efficiently."

"Affirmative." Max agreed.

With a detonator at the ready, the rest of the soldiers began to aim their blaster rifles at the Imperial soldiers. As the stormtroopers were not looking, Krel was ready to spring into action. As soon as the first blaster bolts from the Republic forces were fired, the Imperials were caught by surprise.

"Ambush!" One of the stormtroopers shouted.

The Imperials began to return fire with the help of walker support but as they do it, Krel closed in on the walker's legs while firing at any unsuspecting stormtroopers with his blaster pistol. He then began to place a demolition charge at the left leg beside the foot.

"There is another scum! Get him!" Another stormtrooper shouted after spotting Krel.

"Cover Krel!" Max ordered.

Once Krel is in a position to detonate, he pressed the button to activate the explosives. With enough force, the left leg was ripped apart and the walker began to fall to the ground before a secondary explosion destroyed the cockpit.

"One walker down!" He confirmed.

"So that's what they can do." Rory was amazed before licking her lips.

Max began to scan to locate any remaining Imperial forces and a few registered blips were shown.

"Over there, let's go!" The team then followed Max to the suspected area.

As they run along, Luger began to contact Piña via comlink. Fortunately during their journey to the Rho River, he has managed to teach her how to use it.

"Piña, come in. This is Lieutenant Sternbolt."

"I can hear you." She responded. "What is your situation?"

"Can you contact Gaius about an ambush? The Imperials are likely heading for the direction of Aqua Hortus."

"We can."

"We need to distract the enemy for a while longer while you set up your attack position."

"We'll be there." The transmission then ended just as Krel began to transmit another for Republic support.

"This is Lieutenant Daslik, requesting reinforcements on our position. Transmitting coordinates now."

"Affirmative, gunship support is on the way." General Talor agreed. "ETA 40 minutes."

After a few minutes running, they spotted the Imperial forces. Again, another walker was with the remaining stormtroopers.

"Damn...not again!" Max uttered in shock.

As the stormtroopers were busy searching, one of them spotted the Dragon Company.

"Over there!" He shouted and they began to open fire at Republic forces. They then returned fire.

"There's no way we can effectively counterattack from this position!" Max observed.

"Any ideas?" Tuka asked.

"The only thing we can do is run!" Luger responded and many agreed to his suggestion. As they began to fall back, Rory stayed.

"Rory, get the hell out of here!" Krel shouted.

"Leave this to me." She assured.

The team felt stunned but not their aquatic humanoid companions.

"Don't be afraid. She's immortal." One of them spoke.

"Oh, right...if that works." Max responded with some doubts.

Rory dashed towards the Imperial troops as they try to subdue her with their weaponry but all efforts were slowly starting to become futile as Rory's ability to regenerate from blaster wounds were shown to the Republic soldier.

"Wha...arrrgghhh!" One trooper was knocked back by Rory's hand-to-hand combat abilities.

"Tornado 2, firing lasers!" The AT-ST technician shouted before firing the chin-mounted laser cannon. The impact severed Rory's legs

"UUAAAAAHHHAH!" She shouted before she was thrown into the river.

"Got her!" The technician uttered.

The Republic soldiers were disillusioned by what happened to Rory. Some of the Imperial forces then began to close in on Rory to take her away.

"Keep the Republic soldiers back. We're going in." One stormtrooper ordered.

As they began to take her ashore, one of them was dragged into the water.

"Uaah!" He uttered in panic before being sent into the water below.

"What?!" The other was shocked while trying to get a sense of what's going on. "Aaahhh!"

Both of them were seen no more on the surface of the water just as a large wave began to form up. Both Imperial and Republic forces were stunned by what they are witnessing.

"Holy..." Max uttered.

"H-h-how's that possible?!" The lead stormtrooper shouted in disbelief.

The waves then began to crash down on the Imperial forces, sweeping away the AT-ST and the other troopers. Luger and the others were safely away when it came.

"I don't believe it!" Krel commented.

"That's the work of a sorcerer." Tuka thought. "Cato must have done it."

As guessed, Cato was the one who unleashed the magical wave at the Imperials. He and Lelei then got onto the ground to meet up with the detachment.

"Are you people alright?" Cato asked.

"Yeah...but Rory..." Max tried to explain before Gaius and another humanoid brought her to them. She was unconscious.

"Don't worry. She will be fine." Gaius assured them before her legs were seen flying towards her. It then reattached themselves as if nothing happened.

"That's her ability?!" Luger reacted. "No way!"

A few coughs were uttered before Rory opened her eyes to see the team. They all felt relieved.

"...Luger..."

"Thank goodness you're okay." Luger shed a small tear.

"I told you we Apostles have regeneration abilities." She let out a wink from her right eye.

 **XXXXXXX**

"Seneca, Alba, thank you for your support." Max thanked the councilors. "We wouldn't have survived if you didn't come to our aid."

"You're welcome. We are always there to help no matter which species or race do they belong." Alba responded.

"There is one thing I would like to tell. Bring along Gaius and he'll help you out on your journey." Seneca followed.

"I'll be honored to help you in any form." Gaius offered his services.

"Welcome aboard, Gaius. On behalf of the New Republic, you have our full support."

"Thank you."

As the parting began, Bozes was standing beside Luger overseeing the event.

"We have the Rhoians on our side. What next?" She spoke.

"We need to find more people who can help. Remember, they are still people like them out there." Luger answered.

"I see." Bozes then let out a smile. "Luger, maybe if you have the time, can you please come with me somewhere?"

"If I can, Bozes. We have an important task to do."

Then, a noise filled the air and Krel spotted the source, two Low Altitude Assault Transport gunships. The Rhoians and the girls were initially skeptical before Krel began to clear things up.

"Relax, they are on our side."

"Are those...iron pegasi?" Piña wondered at them.

As the transports landed, Sergeant Belce was leading the reinforcements.

"Captain Mikrak, are you okay?" She asked.

"We're fine. No casualties on our side." Max responded. "We just took out an Imperial party."

"Thank the maker. Listen, General Talor needs us and Princess Piña back at Italica." Belce began to explain the current situation in Italica.

"Is there a problem?" Luger asked.

"Likely. A large army is heading their way to the city and we need Piña's help to try and diffuse the situation."

"Affirmative." Max then began to call Piña. "Princess, we need to move right away!"

"What is it?" Piña asked.

"We need to head back for Italica. An army is heading there."

Piña began to grow worried about what's happening.

"I know who's doing this. Let's go there fast!"

The team began to board the gunships and Luger began to call Gaius to join them.

"Gaius, now's the time to board this pegasus." He called Gaius while using the name Piña used to dub the LAAT.

"On my way." The humanoid responded.

"Gaius, stay safe out there and may the heavens guide you." Alba said some words of encouragement.

"I will, milady."

Gaius waved goodbye to his brethren as he boarded the gunship. They then closed the sliding doors and the LAATs took off for a speedy flight back to Italica.

 _A/N: This is the longest chapter I have written in my fanfiction career so far. Trouble will brew for our heroes as a potential threat closer to home is coming._

 _And by the way, guess who is the hooded figure in the previous chapter._


	10. Chapter 10 - A Divided Empire

As the two LAATs were flying, in the cabin, Sergeant Belce was briefing the Dragon Company and Princess Piña of the situation in Italica. This was aided with pictures of the recents movements from the unknown army.

"What's the sitrep on Italica?" Max asked.

"So far, we have counted the total count of the army to about 100,000 soldiers, including humanoids, riders and those on horseback." Belce explained.

"That's too damn many." Krel commented. "You have any countermeasures?"

"We have and they have arrived an hour ago. Riot guns, mortar units, everything we have are using knockout gas and stun bolts to keep them from potentially reaching Italica within 500 to 1,000 meters."

"You sure hope that we aren't turning the situation into a massacre, right?"

"Talor knows this and he hopes things won't go for the worse."

Piña was still worried before Belce began to ask her a question.

"Princess, you have any idea who is leading the army?"

"I do." She answered. "The dragon riders must have scouted Italica and found out about your presence and has reported to the emperor, my father."

Belce then began to remember something.

"I can recall that something like that has appeared in the city five days ago but we chose not to retaliate for fear we might provoke a war."

"Thank you, Belce." Piña sighed for a moment before turbulence momentarily shaked the gunship. "Whooa!"

Krel kept her upright before she fell to the floor.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. It's just that the ride is bumpy."

"It won't be a long flight to the city." Luger assured. "And if my chronometer shows anything, we can arrive there in about...35 minutes."

"What speed!" Piña reacted in surprise.

Belce then turned her attention to Gaius.

"Who are you, anyway?"

"Gaius Zuf Estel, member of the Aqua Hortus Honor Force." The humanoid introduced himself.

"Sergeant Isara Belce, New Republic Special Forces." The female leader followed. "Pleasure to meet you."

The two shaked hands.

 **XXXXXXX**

As the Imperial army continued with their march to Italica, Emperor Molt was at the front when a commander moved forward.

"Your Majesty, our scouts have just finished observing the city and they have reported that the invaders have not made any further movements aside from reinforcing their defenses." The commander reported. "They are wielding rods not seen anywhere and are using what appears to be cylindrical devices."

"Very good. How are the dragon riders doing?" Molt responded.

"They are currently on the move as we speak but...we also report from one of ours that Count Formal has signalled us not to worry about the city."

"A gesture? Why would he do that when those invaders are occupying Italica? And also, I have not heard from my daughter or her Order ever since the last time she left a message for me saying things are okay."

"We don't know but we do observe an evacuation by the civilian populace."

Suddenly, a tall man with a muscular build and a short blonde haiir came closer to Molt.

"Father, you're sure that she's alright?" The man asked.

"Zorzal, my child, the report that the scout has given to me hinted that she may be alright but they have not managed to get a clearer look at the city."

"But...she may be in trouble! Please father, let me lead my men into battle!"

"No! We have to be patient." Molt rebuked. "Whatever the enemy has, we should not make the first move. I fear that they could decimate us."

Zorzal was disgusted by the answer but decided to reluctantly comply.

"As you wish...Your Majesty."

He left with a unpleasant expression on his face.

 **XXXXXXX**

In Italica, the situation is becoming tense by the minute. As the transport frigates arrived and depart to carry non-lethal suppression equipment, some of the Republic soldiers were carrying R-88 Suppressor riot rifles for close-range assault while complementing the A280 blaster rifles. Others began carrying cases of mortar rounds filled with knockout gas to the mortar teams.

"That's it, put it right over there." A hazel-colored, male Twi'lek officer said as he pointed at the direction of the empty area to the two soldiers carrying the cases. "Good work."

He then began to contact General Talor about their progess.

"General, all mortar teams are on stand-by. We are ready should the situation go out of hand."

"Thank you for the update, Major Ukruya." Talor replied. "Keep eyes on the army and await further orders. For now, we must not allow any bloodshed."

"Affirmative."

As preparations continue, the two LAATs landed on the outside of the ruined west gate which is guarded by a mixed force of Italican and Republic soldiers. The Dragon Company and the Rose-Order knights disembarked and entered through it. What made Piña worried is the line of people evacuating the city.

"I wonder why they are going." She uttered. "Luger, I thought the Republic will handle the Imperial Army peacefully."

"We are." Luger answered. "It appears that they are not risking civilian lives if the situation turns nasty."

While heading for the Formal Mansion, the people took sight of Rory, surprising them not only because of her appearance but also the absence of her halberd. A few dwellers came close to her.

"Oracle, thank goodness you are here!" One dweller sighed in relief.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked.

"Your Holiness, Count Formal has asked us to evacuate knowing that the city might be dragged into war." Another explained.

"We were wondering if you could help us in this desparate time of need." The third pleaded.

The scene has made Luger, Max and Krel wonder.

"I-Is the people praying for her?" Luger uttered.

"Whatever it is, she may be a deity which would explain the scene." Max suggested.

"Max's quite right. Apostles are the servants of their respective gods." Tuka elaborated. "Rory, for example, serves the god of darkness Emroy. She told it earlier."

"Oh, right. Forgot about that part."

While walking, Panache was guiding the people to the gates.

"Right this way, sir." She told a citizen.

"Thank you for the help, young knight." The citizen replied.

"My pleasure, you should be on your way now." Then, she saw Piña in the distance before waiving at her.

"Princess!"

Piña then got closer to do a short talk.

"Did General Talor informed Count Formal about this?"

"He did, milady." The knight answered. "But Count Formal suggested the evacuation because of the Imperial army coming here."

"Any words on the peace talks?"

"You, Count Formal and a certain Lieutenant Sternbolt is asked to lead the effort. He believes that we can get out of this predicament."

"That would be me, ma'am." Luger raised his hand.

"You?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

 **XXXXXXX**

In the mansion, Count Formal and General Talor were discussing the strategy to handle the Imperial army.

"The Imperial army are waiting at the outskirts of the city. About 1,900 meters away." Talor reported.

"That sums up their current position." Luger agreed. "Count?"

"Here's how this will work: Me, Piña, Bozes and Sternbolt will go outside the safety of the city and try to make contact with the commanders there." Colt explained. "Once we do, we will explain to them the Republic's intentions of peace and aid."

"That's the plan." Max nodded. "Besides, we have made contact with the Rhoians and started an alliace."

"Excellent news." Talor lauded.

"Now, if that peace gesture fails, then what?"

"That leaves us with Plan B: In the event that the Imperial army turns hostile, we will launch our mortar rounds and stun blasts to try subduing them into surrendering." Talor explained. "That way, no one gets killed in the process. However..."

Piña and the others were concerned.

"What? What happens if it fails as well?" Piña asked.

"...if that one fails as well..."

Talor hesitated for a moment before revealing the answer.

"...we will have no choice but to use lethal force."

"Don't worry sir, we will try to not make it happen." Luger assured.

"Please do. After years of fighting, it's hard to explain why we are doing it again when the Galactic Empire is currently overshadowing us. You will both be provided with a breath mask plus an extra to be carried by Sternbolt if needed."

 **XXXXXXX**

At the east gate, Luger, Piña and Colt are on horseback ready to send a message to the Imperials. While preparing, the Republic and Italican soldiers are playing their part as well. Within the top of the walls, Major Ukruya's mortar teams are on stand-by as well as the other soldiers.

"All units, maintain defensive posture until further orders are received." One of them reminded via comlink. "I repeat, maintain defensive posture until further orders are received."

With a few breaths, Luger and the others are ready for the mission.

"Let's go." Piña spoke and the others nodded in reply. As they leave, the soldiers saw their progress before ordering the gates to be opened.

"Open the gates!" The Italican soldier shouted and the men complied. The gates are opened and the four left the safety of the city.

"Father, I'm here. Please...don't worry about it." She quietly prayed for her father.

At the walls, Krel was monitoring their progress via electrobinoculars. Rory was getting more concerned.

"They're moving out." Krel observed. "Let's hope nothing bad happens to them...or us."

"I wonder why Luger is joining in." Rory spoke.

"He probably has the most experience with nobles. That's for sure."

On the other side, Zorzal was witnessing two from the cavalry left for the city to investigste further. After moving a distance away, they can see the figures of four people.

"I wonder who could it be." One spoke with curiosity.

"Don't know. We should take a closer look."

When they did got close to them, they can find Piña, Bozes and Colt heading for the Imperial side. What made them even more curious is the fourth who is a man wearing different clothing.

"Your Highness, milord!" The second shouted before dismounting to meet them. "Are you people alright?"

"We're fine, don't worry." Piña assured. "Who's leading the army?"

"His Majesty the Emperor is leading the army to Italica to free it."

"WHAT?!" Piña reacted.

"What do you mean?" Colt asked. "The city is always free and the so-called 'invaders' doesn't have any intention of doing so."

The soldiers were baffled.

"But the damage...our riders have saw quite some damage within the city. Are you sure you people are okay?"

"We are." Piña insisted. "The city doesn't want anymore harm coming her way. Please, bring us to my father to end the troubling time."

"Right away, Your Highness." The soldiers nodded and they began leading the party to the emperor.

"This is Lieutenant Sternbolt, we are proceeding with the peace talks." Luger reported via comlink. "Stand by."

When they reached the Imperial frontlines, Molt was standing there waiting until he egan to see Piña.

"Piña?"

In turn, she began to see her father.

"Father."

"Piña!"

"Father!"

The two then began to run for each other and when they did, they exchanged a reuniting embrace.

"I'm glad you are safe!" Molt sighed.

He then took a look at Colt.

"Your Majesty, there is nothing to fear right now." Colt assured him. "Our city is still safe."

"What do you mean?"

"That will be explained by him, Luger Sternbolt." Bozes answered and she introduced Luger to the emperor.

"Your Highness. I am Luger Sternbolt from the New Republic." He introduced himself. "I know that your empire is in crisis because of Italica but there is nothing to be afraid of."

"Then why is the so-called 'New Republic' occupying Italica?" Molt asked.

"I asked them to guard the city." Colt admitted. "Listen Your Highness, there is a much bigger threat than either of us can handle and only the New Republic can stand up to them."

Molt was taken aback.

"What threat?!"

"The Galactic Empire, father." Piña answered.

Uttering the name of the enemy the Republic is currently facing, Molt was surprised.

"The 'Galactic Empire?' Who are they?"

"The Republic's enemy. They have tried to defeat them but the Republic was victorious in their struggle."

"Are you sure about it, my daughter?"

"Yes! They have told me about it!"

Molt took a moment to think about the answers.

"I think I get it now."

"Now you understand why they are here? They are here to help us."

"Thank you for telling me, my daughter. Oh, and Luger..."

"Your Majesty?" Luger responded.

"Come with us to our tent. I believe we want to learn more on where you came from."

"Certainly." He then began to contact Talor again. "Talor, the emperor's trust is gained.

Back at the city, Talor and operators of a probe droid were busy monitoring the progress.

"Good work, lieutenant." Talor lauded. "Now we can breathe easily."

As the talks continue, one of them spotted an anomaly within the ranks of the Imperials.

"Uhhh...sir! You might wanna see this!"

"Saw something?" Talor asked.

"Yes, sir. It appears that a man with a muscular build and blonde hair is talking to a superior."

"Get us closer."

When the droid got close enough, they can see the scope of the moment. Then, the other man with a red cape walked away and the droid continued spying on him.

"What the hell is he doing?" Talor wondered.

When the man in the monitor met another officer, another officer began discussing something. The operator then got closer to pick up the conversation.

"It's time. Get rid of the Emperor."

"Aaahh?!" Talor and the men were shocked.

Talor then immediately began to take action and began to warn Luger of the impending danger.

"Lieutenant, it appears that a coup is brewing up." He told Luger.

"You sure?" Luger asked.

"Likely. Keep your guard up."

"On my way."

When the delegates reached the tent, Molt began to sit down in a wooden chair beside a large table with a map in the center.

"Have a seat." The delegates complied before Molt began to ask a question. "So tell me, Luger. What does the Republic look like?"

"Well...to put things into perspective, we are a large entity."

"I see. An equal of the Empire." Molt was pleased. "Where do you come from?"

"Not from this world, to be honest."

Molt was surprised by the answer.

""Not from this world?""

"Basically, we came from a place far, far away and I don't think you could comprehend from what I am about to show to you."

Revealing his holoprojector, he began to show Molt, Piña Bozes and Colt a hologram of the galaxy. A shocked expression was shown by both locals.

"Whoa!" The blonde knight couldn't believe it.

"You came from that?!" Molt asked.

"To be frank, this is a small-scale representation. The real-life one is much, much bigger."

"Much bigger?!" Piña wondered. "Have we entered a new frontier?"

"Hummm...now I know where the Republic comes from." Colt began to shrug off the size concerns. "My boy, you have shown to us an opportunity for the both of us."

"Count, when we have the time, I can show all of you the 'new frontier.'" Luger offered.

"Thank you."

Outside the camp, marksmen with their E-17d sniper rifles began to close in with the hopes of eliminating the suspected officers plotting a possible coup.

"This is Captain Worklac, we are closing in on the camp." The female leader reported. "Status report."

"Ma'am, we have eyes on the target." A subordinate followed while showing the feed via a viewscreen. "It looks like he has at least three people with him. They're heading for the tent."

"We need to give the lieutenant more time."

While the talks continued, the four men entered the emperor's tent.

"Captain Aquila, what are you doing here?" Molt barked while standing.

"It's time for you people to go." The captain spoke.

"Is this a coup?"

Luger then began to touch his stingbeam for possible combat. As that unfold, the marksmen then aimed their rifles at the four men specifically at the legs.

"Target the legs only." Worklac ordered. "They must be alive."

"All units, stand by to fire" Talor ordered. "Ukruya, ready your mortars to fire and aim for the camp. All riot control troopers, move to the east gate and prepare for immediate action."

As the mortar teams prepare to lob their stockpiles of specialized rounds onto the Imperials, the troopers armed with the riot rifles moved into the east gate to prepare for combat. The situation is tense on the Imperial side.

"Piña, Colt, Bozes...on my mark, wear your masks." Luger ordered.

After a few seconds, Talor gave the signal.

"Mortar teams, lob rounds!" He ordered. "Marksmen, open fire!"

"All units, lob rounds! Lob rounds!" Ukruya shouted and the teams complied, firing the first salvo of non-lethal rounds.

"Fire!" The lead marksman ordered and they pulled the trigger to fire the shots.

The four Imperials then began to attack but the sniper bolts hit the legs.

"AAAAAARRRGGHHH!" They shouted, shocking Molt in the process.

"Huh?!"

Then, the mortar rounds exploded mid-air above the Imperials. The rounds release a cloud of knockout gas and it began to spread, affecting many soldiers.

"What...is...this?!" One soldier wondered before being rendered unconscious.

"I can't...move...uuhhh!" Another followed.

Talor then began the next phase.

"Sergeant Kriskkahol, move in." He ordered the trooper sergeant via comlink.

"Copy that. Squad 2, move out!"

The troopers, with their riot shields at hand, moved in to clear out any resistance. Zorzal was shocked at the scene.

"What sorcery is this?!" Zorzal was shocked knowing that his plan is backfiring.

As the four delegates are wearing their gas mask, the soldiers attempting to attack were in great pain. Molt still could not believe what is happening.

"Father, we must go!" Piña suggested before receiving the back-up breath mask from Luger. "Here, wear this!"

She helped him wear the mask to allow him to breathe easily while the gas is in the air.

"Piña, why are we supposed to wear this?"

"The Republic doesn't want any bloodshed so they made efforts to use a form of magic to make us asleep."

"Let's go, Your Majesty!" Colt ordered. "Follow Luger!"

They then left the tent to retreat for Italica. As the suppression continues, Imperial soldiers who are still able began to make a stand against Republic forces.

"Tortoise formation!" A soldier ordered as they used their shields to protect themselves against projectiles but the Republic are mainly not using it. "Ukekkaa!"

The gas has affected the formation, slowly rendering them unconscious.

"Go, go, go!" One Republic soldier barked. "Move forward!"

As the delegates lead Molt away while under the rain of mortar rounds, Tuka was among the team watching them closely.

"They are getting out of the battle." She observed. "They should be here any moment."

"Gotta hand it to Talor and Luger. They know how...ohh, hold it, hold it!" Max reacted while looking at another plotter aiming his bow at the delegates. "What's he doing?!"

"What?!" Tuka and Krel uttered before looking at the archer in question.

Max immediately began to contact Luger about the danger.

"Luger, enemy at six o'clock!"

"What?" Luger then looked back and saw him aiming his bow at him. Colt noticed it before the archer launched the arrow at him. "Look out!"

He pushed Luger away from the trajectory of the arrow, making Colt take it instead. The arrow hit him in the abdomen before Luger and the others noticed it.

"COOOLLLTT!"

Tuka, Krel, Rory and Max were shocked by the scene.

"Huuh?!" They reacted and Max used a DLT-19x targeting blaster to shoot the archer in the leg, blowing it off.

"Go...we need to help!" Krel barked and they proceeded to help Colt. He was wounded and he fell feeling the pain.

"Milord!" Bozes reacted as well.

"We need to bring him to Italica! Hurry!" Piña shouted.

Zorzal's secret plan was a failure but a subordinate arrived with news.

"Your Highness, we failed to kill him but...we only hit Colt who is protecting an unknown man."

"Tccckkk! He sacrificed himself to save him?!"

"Prince Zorzal, what should we do?"

Zorzal has a few options for the meantime.

"We have to go. There is not much we can do here."

The soldiers at the gate were signalled by Luger to open the gates. Then, Max and the others showed.

"What happened?!" Krel asked.

"Colt's injured! He needs medical attention!" Luger reported.

"Get inside!" Max ordered and they brought him to the city to seek medical attention.

As they are closing in on the medic, Colt has other plans.

"Please...let me stay here." He request.

"But...Colt...you'll die!" Luger resisted the answer.

"I am done here in this life."

Luger reluctantly laid him for his final moments.

"Milord..." Piña tried to ask.

"Do not worry...even if I can't see the new frontier...at least you have Luger and his friends to help. Please...Luger..."

"Yes, Colt."

"I'm counting on you...finish your mission. To bring peace."

His eyelids becam slowly heavy as his lifeforce is slipping away.

"Goodbye...everyone."

The last word was spoken and Colt closed his eyes as death came. It devastated the entire team and Molt.

"No..." Krel uttered first.

"I can't..." Tuka tried to comprehend the situation before hugging Luger.

"May you have well wishes in the afterlife, Count Colt Formal." Rory prayed for his soul.

Talor was busy monitoring the battle when his holoprojector was beeping. It then revealed Max as the caller.

"General...I have bad news." He said.

"What happened?" Talor asked.

"Count Formal...he is killed."

The words devastated the general.

"No! It can't be..."

He turned around towards a table and began to bang it hard to express his shock.

"Dammit!"

 **XXXXXXX**

In the Imperial fleet, Axier was busy talking to his subordinates when one officer came with a report.

"Sir, I have news from our probe droids." He saluted while taking.

"Any info on what we they are doing?" Axier asked.

"Yes, admiral." The offcer then gave Axier the datapad. "We have received word that a mop-up operation was done by Republic forces in Italica against a large primitive army and that they have used non-lethal force to do that. But there is more."

He then showed a blonde man with a muscular build.

"Who's this?"

"I'm not sure admiral, but judging by the armour and its decorative patterns, we have reasons to believe that he may be a high-ranking figure within their army. There are even hints of a coup based on conversations we have picked up."

Axier was pleased to hear the report.

"Get Captain Roman on the line and tell him to find that person."

"Right away, sir."

 **XXXXXXX**

The next day, Italica was grieving. A vigil and a procession were held for the fallen Count of Italica as Republic representatives joined in their time of sorrow. Luger was among those including Admiral Ackbar and Emperor Molt.

"So...what now?" Myui asked. "Now that my father's gone...I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry." Talor assured her. "We will do everything in our power to make things easier for the city."

As the procession continued, Piña came closer to Luger to talk about something.

"Luger...we have to talk." She asked.

"Okay." He agreed. "So what is it?"

"When you first met him, he was glad that he has a reliable friend to help. Not only that, he even gave you information that benefited you and Italica for the long run. He was looking forward for something much different."

Luger was silent.

"Is anything wrong, my dear sir?"

"Well...I was thinking of him as well." Luger answered. "Sorry if I didn't answered earlier."

"That's okay. I know how you feel."

"Besides, I am keeping his word. We are going to unite the people in this world if we are going to fight the Galactic Empire and whoever's plotting an attack on the emperor."

"Yeah."

Ackbar was standing beside Talor when the former has updates from the galaxy.

"General, we have news that several members of the Mandalorian Protectors are coming here tomorrow for assistance with our efforts to find Imperial agents here." The Mon Calamari explained.

"Good to hear." Talor replied. "And admiral, regarding the Emprie, I was thinking if we could start training the locals here for any planetary assault."

"That's a smart move. Oh, and one more thing: Commander Skywalker is coming with them as well."

"I thought he was supposed to continue with his search for the Jedi lore."

"His stay won't be long. After that, he will return to continue with his exploration."

"I see. Thank you for telling."

The two officers then continued with the current events unfolding.

 _A/N: This is a dark chapter I have written so far for the story. I had to admit._

 _And apologies for not adding Luke in the previous chapters. I decided not to do it so as to not bother him in his search for the Jedi lore._

 _See you._


	11. Chapter 11 - Where We Go Next

_**As the conflict between the NEW REPUBLIC and the remnants of the GALACTIC EMPIRE rages on, tensions within the continent of Falmart has started to slowly increase following the death of Count Colt Formal.**_

 _ **In response to these events, General Rand Talor has began to prioritize the launch of a training campaign for the local population to prepare for a planet-wide war and to find the person responsible for the attempted coup plot against Emperor Molt Sol Augustus of Sadera.**_

 _ **However, an old master from the Old Republic would intertwine with these events after years of exile following the dreaded act of Order 66...**_

 **XXXXXXX**

 **(24 years ago...)**

Near the planet of Bakura, a battle between the navies of the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems was ongoing following the intercepted transmission of the latter were received. Onboard the Eta-2 _Actis_ -class interceptor, a middle-aged Jedi Master with a light brown skin color was leading his fellow squadron of clone pilots who are protecting a boarding party that is ordered to board a _Providence_ -class dreadnought.

"Master Chesed to Reaper Squadron, the boarding party is almost at the hangar. Let's take out the containment shield." The Jedi told his allies.

"Copy, general." The clone pilot onboard an Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter respond. "A'ight boys, let's get this show on the road!"

"Reaper 2, copy that." The second pilot followed. "Hold it, we have vulture droids and tri-fighters coming in!"

"I see them."

A squadron of droid tri-fighters and _Vulture_ -class droid starfighters were approaching the squadron and began to fire at Chesed's team.

"Deal with those droids! Reaper 4, engage the containment shields. I'll cover you."

"Affirmative." Reaper 4 complied.

As the dogfight between the two factions progresses, one vulture droid scored hits on a ARC-170.

"I'm hit!" Reaper 6 shouted before his starfighter exploded.

"Reaper 6's down, cover the larty!" Reaper 8 barked.

Chesed then began to aim at a tri-fighter and moments after, pulled the trigger to fire its laser cannons to destroy it.

"Got it!" He uttered.

Nearby, onboard a _Venator_ -class Star Destroyer, another middle-aged man from Naboo was leading his fleet to assist Master Chesed and the raiding party.

"Master Chesed, this is Admiral Mikrak. We are approaching your position." The admiral offered his help. "Hold on, we are going to take out the escort ships."

"Thanks for the assist." Chesed thanked. "We owe you one."

"My pleasure. All ships, concentrate fire on those Banking Clan frigates."

The Star Destroyers then opened fire at the _Munificent_ -class star frigates escorting the Separatist flagship. In the LAAT, the clone troopers lead by CT-9753 or "Raker" by his allies and distinguishable by his red-and-blue scheme were ready to enter the ship.

"Get ready to lock n' load, boys!" Raker shouted enthusiasm. "Things are gonna get messy!"

While the dogfight was on, Reaper 4 prepares to fire the proton torpedoes for launch just as a single vulture droid began to go in for the kill.

"I have one on my tail!" Reaper 4 shouted in distress.

"I see that bugger." Reaper 2 uttered before firing the laser cannons to destroy it. "You're clear!"

Reaper 4 then fired the shots after doing another maneuver to recover his trajectory. The torpedoes then destroyed the generators for the containment shields.

"Shield's down! Time to get inside and go home!"

"Roger that, we are moving in." The LAAT pilot responded and they have landed. The doors opened to allow Raker and his team to fire at any battle droids. As soon as they appeared, they opened fire.

"Let's get a move on!" Raker shouted before using his comlink to contact Chesed. "General Chesed, we have borded the ship and are moving in to retrieve the data."

"Copy that, Raker." Chesed responded. "I'm joining as well."

As the clones took cover to reduce the casualty rate, Chesed arrived and began to get out of the starfighter to assist the party using his lightsaber with an aqua-colored blade.

"There's a Jedi!" One of the droids exclaimed. "Stop him!"

Some of the B2 super battle droids redirected their attention to Chesed and began to shoot him but his Force and lightsaber skills were more than a match for them, blocking blaster bolts and slicing off their bodies upon close contact. Raker's men then finished the rest off using a thermal detonator.

"Glad to have joined the party, general." Raker greeted.

"Perhaps. Now, on to other matters."

They then used their holoprojectors to go over the target room.

"This is where they are holding it right here near the bow." Raker briefed. "If we can get there, we can steal whatever they are planning for the future."

"But those Droidekas and other defenses are an issue going there." Chesed cautioned. "We need to be on guard."

He then began to contact his astromech droid to steer his starfighter away from the ship.

"Kayfour, assist with Reaper Squadron and return to the Venator when you are done." He requested his astromech droid before an affirmative beeping was heard.

As the party moved on through the corridors, a droideka and a small squad of battle droids appeared.

"Destroyer droid!" One clone shouted and the team took cover just as the droideka opened its shields before unleashing a barrage of blaster bolts.

"I'll distract it." Chesed suggested calmly. "Throw an EMP at the rear so that I can get close enough."

"Roger that!" One clone nodded before preparing an Electro Magnetic Pulse grenade. "EMP out!"

When the grenade was thrown at the rear, the nearby droids were shut down giving Chesed the opening needed to distract the droideka. He both evaded and deflected some of the bolts before jumping behind it. When the droid was distracted, the clones moved in and placed explosives at its blind spot. They stayed clear and the charges detonated, destroying the shields. Chesed then finished it off.

"Let's go!" Raker told his men.

In the databank room, some B1 and B2 battle droids were guarding the terminal from any attempted breach. Just as the doors are opened, Chesed lead the team to finish off the guards with at least three clones killed in the attempt.

"That's the room." Raker uttered. "Move!"

The team then began to steal various data from the terminal before Raker noticed a different one that contains unknown code.

"Hold on. I think there might be something that needs to be seen."

"Anything that you've got, captain?" Chesed asked.

"Likely, though we don't have much time deciphering all this code here."

"Time to get out of here." He then began to contact Admiral Mikrak. "Admiral, time your chronometers to 15 minutes and open fire at the flagship once it passes."

"Roger that, general." Mikrak complied. "Timing our chronometers now."

The team followed suit and they proceeded to return to the gunship. When they have retured, squads of battle droids appeared to stop the take-off.

"Pilot, we need to go!" Chesed barked.

"Right away, sir." The pilot responded.

As the gunship began to leave, the droids desperately began to shoot it down but once it left the hangar, the surviving starfighters were escorting them back to Mikrak's flagship.

"All ships, open fire at the flagship." Mikrak ordered.

The star destroyers then opened fire at the Separatist flagship, slowly destroying her with a full barrage. As well, Reaper Squadron and Kayfour were clearing a path for the gunship to fly back to the hangar.

"Master Chesed, we are escorting you back to base." Reaper 1 said.

"Thank you, captain." Chesed replied. "Tell your pilots they did a good job."

"My pleasure."

Raker then began to examine the code once more with the Jedi Master.

"Now with this, it would take time to decipher what it contains." Raker spoke.

"We will also ask help from the Jedi Council if we can. They are busy with finding General Grievous and finding out who the Sith Lord is."

The gunships then approached the vicinity of Mikrak's flagship with the starfighter squadron before making a landing.

 **XXXXXXX**

 **(Present day...)**

Luger was sleeping in his tent after a day of assistance with Republic personnel and the local population. While waking up, he began to feel discomfort.

"Hummmm..."

When he turned around, he can see Rory sleeping soundly beside him.

"Huh?! HYYYAAAAA!"

The reaction made her wake up after Luger got out of his sleeping bag.

"Is it morning...hah." She uttered as she opened her eyes.

"Rory! What are you doing in my tent?!" Luger scaredly asked.

"What? I was just feeling sleepy the other night and I-I..."

Luger was not convinced.

"You shouldn't have barged in here, you know that?"

"Luuugeeerr..." Rory whined. "Please, don't scold me."

"Oh, come on!"

Inside the Formal Mansion, Talor was checking with the recent reconnaissance pictures regarding the leader of the coup plot. A Republic officer then came with some recent developments.

"Sir, one of our probe droids has lost communication with our controllers." She reported. "But we do have information that he is heading east."

"You would suggest that something went wrong, right?" Talor asked.

"Likely. We have picked up unknown signals near its position. It could be an Imperial probe droid."

"Hummm...maybe they have an interest in him as well. They are trying to recruit him to give him an advantage."

"What should you suggest?"

"Right now, Emperor Molt is busy getting his men freed. We promised him and his army safe travel back to their captial which is where we are going to check out."

"I will inform our available units to explore there as well. What about Dragon Company, sir?"

"They are already assigned to another operation, so we can't change that at the last minute."

Outside Italica, the Imperial soldiers were being assisted by Republic forces as Molt prepares to head for home with his army.

"Your Majesty, I have word from General Talor about our latest developments." A Republic soldier informed him.

"Thank you about the news." Molt responded. "Anything to report?"

"We are sending some of our soldiers from the New Republic Special Forces to accompany you on your journey. They will report their observations and recent developments as they proceed."

"How can they do that? Over time, it will take days to send back news to Italica."

"Don't worry about it. Our advances in communication will get it done in an instant."

Molt was surprised by the statement.

"Besides, we have been spying on a likely suspect in the attempted coup two days back."

Using a datapad, she showed him the image of the suspect from the encounter. The features made Molt furious.

"Zorzal?!" He reacted. "How dare did he try to stab me in the back?"

"We were watching the army closely to make sure nothing bad happen during the talks, Your Majesty, but then he came to the picture." The officer briefly explained.

A familiar voice then got Molt's attention.

"FAAAATTHHER!"

The source of it came towards Piña.

"My daugher, do you need something?"

"Nothing, father." She replied. "All I wished to say is I bid you safe travel."

"Why not you come with me back to Sadera? I need to find Zorzal."

"What about him?"

"Well Your Highness, he is a suspect in the coup." The officer told her.

"What?!"

"Sorry, ma'am. We have to keep the peace here."

"I-I..."

"Don't worry, he'll be met with justice when we find him." Molt assured her.

Suddenly, a noise filled the air as onlookers looked at what appears to be a monster with its wings pointing upward. Its blue and white skin made an intimidating effect.

"What is that thing?" Molt asked in awe.

"Is that a dragon?" One Imperial commander followed suit.

To the Republic personnel, however, that "dragon" was actually a _Kom'rk_ -class fighter and they know who built it.

"General, the Mandalorian Protectors and Commander Skywalker have arrived." One officer informed Talor.

"I'll be on my way."

As the combat transport landed, some civilians wondered at its appearance. When the airlock is opened, it revealed a man with blonde hair wearing a black outfit and a woman wearing the traditional Mandalorian armour or _beskar'gam_. A light blue cape decorated the set.

"Commander Skywalker, welcome to Italica." Talor greeted as soon as he arrived.

"Good to see you, General Talor." Luke responded. "I can see that progress within the exploration is going well."

"Yes, Skywalker." Talor then turned his attention to the Mandalorian. "And I presume you must be Shyla Varad."

"That's correct, general." Shyla answered. "Now, we would like to see the city ourselves first before we move on to other matters. And also, Fenn and A'den's arrival here will be delayed due to operations in the Inner Rim."

"Thank you for the news. Maybe you two will get accustomed to the local population. Besides, we have a royalty supporting our efforts here alongside the officials of the city."

"Excellent. Let's go."

The three walked inside the city as they head for the mansion. Skywalker sensed grief with the people due to Count Formal's death.

"I can feel the pain of the people as if they have lost someone of great importance."

"That's correct, commander." Talor nodded. "Two days ago, the count of this city lost his life when we are stopping a coup attempt on the local emperor. He has no support for the Galactic Empire so far."

"I see. That should clear things up."

"General, if I may, who is this royalty supporting the efforts?" Shyla asked.

"Princess Piña Co Lada, ma'am." Talor answered. "She has been aiding one particular unit during their expedition. And that name is Dragon Company."

"Hummm...that's a good name."

When the approached the mansion grounds, Luger, Rory and Max were witnessing the three officers moving inside.

"Who is that guy with the black outfit?" Rory asked. "I can feel something powerful within him."

"His name is Luke Skywalker, one of the most important people who fought against the Empire." Max answered.

Luke noticed her presence and turned his attention to Rory.

"I believe that you must be someone of great importance." Luke greeted kindly. "Do you have a name?"

"Oh I'm Rory Mercury, the Apostle of Emroy." She greeted quite shyly.

""Emroy?""

"Uh sir, not to be rude but Emroy is the god of darkness of this world." Luger told him.

"I see."

"I'm Luger Sternbolt and the guy on my left is Max Mikrak. We are the ones who found this planet weeks before."

"You know, you two might be uncovering something the Imperials are secretly doing when the Concordance was signed." Luke praised the men. "Don't be afraid to face them."

"We will." Mikrak uttered.

"Skywalker, if you mind..." Shyla reminded.

"Oh, right. Anyway, good luck and may the Force be with you."

Skywalker left with Shyla but Rory was having a hard time deciphering the last message.

"What does he mean by "may the Force be with you?"" Rory asked.

"He meant a good luck to us. And as well, the "Force" is what binds life and our galaxy together." Max explained.

"Ooh..."

Inside, a discussion was held regarding the operation Dragon Company will undertake with another Republic unit.

"General, what is your next move?" Shyla asked.

"Our next location of interest is the south of Alnus." Talor answered. "I've heard that there are more kingdoms to make contact with."

"And are there any more news?"

"Well, we are dealing with a suspected coup plotter during our encounter with the empire of this world. I'll be giving you the photos in a short while."

"General, based on your current reports of Imperial presence in this world, surely you are doing everything in your power to limit their influence." Skywalker calmly requested clarification.

"We are doing our best, Skywalker."

"I hope this will go well."

"We are also planning to train the locals as we speak. Dragon Company has made allies on their travels."

"General, my men are willing to pass our knowledge of warfare to them. As well, the Republic soldiers are entitled to this." Shyla offered.

"Thank you, Varad." Talor accepted. "That should boost our abilities."

"It is our gift to the Republic after you freed our planet from the Empire."

Suddenly, the doors are knocked.

"May I come in?" A maid asked.

"You may." Talor responded.

The doors were opened to reveal Aurea.

"Princess Piña and Miss Myui have arrived."

The two ladies then revealed themselves to Luke and Shyla.

"I would like to present to you Princess Piña Co Lada on the left and Myui Formal on the right." Talor introduced.

"Good day, fellow allies of the Republic." Myui greeted. "I'm...Myui Formal."

"Nice to meet you, too." Luke responded with a calm touch of her hand. "I'm Luke."

"You are a nice man."

"Thank you."

"And I'm Piña Co Lada, the 10th in line for the Imperial throne." The princess introduced.

"My pleasure. I'm looking forward helping you whenever I can."

"Whew." Piña sighed.

"I would also like to introduce to you Shyla Varad from the world of Mandalore." Talor introduced Shyla.

 _"Su cuy'gar."_ She greeted in Mandalorian.

"Huh?" The girls were confused.

"That means "hello" in our language. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, I see." Myui understood.

"Anyway, we better prepare for the next mission." Talor reminded. "Your Highness, are you ready for this expedition?"

"I am." Piña affirmed.

"Good, time to get started."

 **XXXXXXX**

Outside, one upgraded All Terrain Tactical Enforcer was loading troops inside while two Bantha-II cargo skiffs were loading cargo. Escorted by a pair of T2-Bs, they are ready to make their trip south of Italica. In charge of the operation was a veteran soldier named Raker.

"Captain Max Mikrak, ready for my team to join in." Max informed him.

"Thank goodness." The soldier sighed. "I'm Colonel Raker and I'm in charge of this expedition. Good that you are ready to assist us for the journey ahead."

"My pleasure." Then Krel arrived.

"Krel, is the princess coming?"

"Yes, she is." The Besalisk confirmed. "She has just finished her meeting with Commander Skywalker and Varad. Luger is still getting Lelei and the others."

"Can you contact him?"

"I'll try." Krel then used his comlink to contact Luger. "Luger, what's the hold-up?"

"Still busy finalizing our things for today." Luger responded. "Lelei, Cato, Ennio, Gaius and Rory are coming as well."

"Give or take, we are running out of room for a few passengers. Besides, we even don't have our horses since what happened back at the Rho River."

"He's correct." Max sided with Krel. "Without them and due to other needs, we need to think of something to compensate. Think about the Military Disarmament Act as well; the Senate wouldn't want to waste more credits than necessary on this."

"Affirmative." Luger quietly replied before ending the transmission.

"Still thinking on that as well, eh?"

"Yeah. A lot of people are tired of the war and the Empire's iron hand. They all want to go away from that."

"I see."

Luger was on his way to the exploration team bringing along his allies.

"Princess, glad you made it on time." Ennio greeted.

"Yeah." She replied. "I am."

"Ennio, Gaius, listen. We will train you how to use our weapons and do some basic combat training. While Piña may have some experience using our weapons, it's still not enough to survive an attack by the Galactic Empire." Luger expained.

"You're saying milady's experience aren't enough?" Bozes questioned.

"Not to be offensive of anything. I'm just saying that this is different from what how you people fight."

"He may be right, Bozes." Piña quietly agreed with Luger. "Just calm down."

"If I may, what excatly are your battles like, Luger?" Gaius asked.

"Yeah, I wanna know too." Ennio followed.

"Well...our battles are usually a mix of ground and space combat." Luger explained. "We move fast finding cover from blaster and cannon fire and vehicles prowled them to hunt down potentially difficult targets on land. In space, ship-to-ship battles are common."

His allies were intrigued.

"Whoever controls space controls the world in a short amount of time."

"I don't believe it." Gaius reacted.

"Man, that's brutal." Ennio reacted with his cat ears sticking out.

"While I never saw those space battles before, I do saw their ships staying near the planet." Tuka told them about her experience. "Despite the emptiness of that realm, they are here waiting to help if needed."

"So...that means we are saved if things go wrong?"

"Yes." A smile was shown on the elf's face.

"That's a relief." Bozes sighed.

Piña still has some doubts about Zorzal. Luger then took notice.

"Hummmm...what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Luger. It's just about my brother."

"Worried about him?"

Piña nodded.

"I see."

When they reached the convoy, Max and Krel were waiting.

"Took you long enough." Max told Luger.

"Sorry Max but we have everything we need." He apologized.

"That's okay. Put some on that AT-TE. That walker's compartment is reserved for cargo."

"We're on it." Ennio affirmed before grabbing some of the stuff to be placed on the rear hold of the walker. "That's one big monster."

"Tehe. You'll know more sometime."

"Luger, what is that thing?" Piña asked.

"That right there is an All Terrain Tactical Enforcer or 'AT-TE' for short." Luger answered. "They may be old but it still has some fight left in 'em."

"You done with the lesson, folks?" Raker asked after moving closer. "We better move."

Piña and Luger nodded in agreement.

"Yeah...we better go." Luger responded.

Just before Piña departs with the expedition team, a transmission from Talor was picked up by Max.

"Captain Mikrak, patch Piña on the line." He requested. "Emperor Molt wants to see her."

"On my way." Max affirmed. "Princess, your father has something to say."

He gave her the holoprojector to allow Piña to see for the first time her father projected in hologram.

"Father, can you see me?"

"I can see you, my daughter." Molt replied. "Although, it's quite awkward to talk to you in this."

"That's okay. I tried a similar thing, too." Piña admitted.

"Tehe. Anyway before I finish this, I just want to tell you that..."

"What is it?"

"...that no matter where you are, we are waiting."

Piña became slightly emotional about the answer.

"Thank you. I will return home, I promise."

"Stay safe out there." The transmission then ended.

"Time to get going people." Raker informed before shouting the order to move to his men. "Move out!"

When the Dragon Company was inside the walker with a few of Raker's men, the giant walker roared into life moving south towards their destination. With the T2-Bs and skiffs escorting it, it was protected for the time being. Rory, for her part, was sitting on top of the walker feeling the movement and the wind.

"Maybe Emroy would like this." Rory thought to herself while referring to the walker she is sitting on.

"Remember, we are passing by Alnus on the way there so if there are things that are missing, there are supplies at the camp." Max reminded.

"Roger." Luger agreed.

The convoy continued moving.

 _A/N: If anyone wonders about two 'Rakers' in this chapter, Fact Free has a video explaining Captain Rex's possible appearance in_ Return of the Jedi _based on the theory made by director Dave Filoni. Watch it, it's interesting._

 _See you again._


	12. Chapter 12 - Road to Elbe

As the convoy continued with their journey, they are within visual range of Alnus Hill. The commander of the AT-TE was communicating with the base before asking Raker to share the information.

"Got word from the driver: we are closing in on Alnus Camp." Raker informed.

"Thank you, Raker." Mikrak replied. "And there is one thing I have to check out."

"Anything in particular?"

"Two X-wings in that camp. Talor said that Incom engineers are doing modifications to gather data for the new X-wings they are proposing."

"So you are a starfighter pilot too, eh? I guess that you have double duties once finished." Raker then let out a small chuckle.

The locals are wondering about the situation.

"Who is 'Incom,' by the way?" Gaius asked.

"It's not a 'who,' it's a 'what.'" Krel answered. "Simply put, they are a guild of engineers crafting our starfighters. Others include Koensayr, Kuat Systems Engineering, Slayn & Korpil, among others."

"That's a lot of engineers." Bozes was surprised.

"Indeed. We also built the fighters in secret when the Empire is around and often we steal their tech to bolster our forces."

The locals were surprised by what Krel mentioned.

"Wait! The Republic _stole_ the Empire's weaponry?!" Tuka exclaimed.

"Afraid so." Krel answered. "If it wasn't for those acts, freedom wouldn't have come sooner and causalties could be much higher."

Piña was contemplating on the topic.

"If the Republic did some acts of stealing, are they...bandits? I'm not sure. Maybe, I shouldn't go any further for the time being."

"Speaking of which, here is the background of this confusion: before, we are not the New Republic of today." Max began to explain. "We are once a shattered bunch of men and women, criminals, former soldiers and ordinary citizens alike, opposing the Empire but became more unified over time. And it was called the Alliance to Restore the Republic."

The locals felt surprised by the background. Piña's suspicions were confirmed.

"What do you mean?" Ennio wondered. "What happened to the Republic?"

Mikrak took a deep breath before letting out the answer.

"He came."

""He?"" Tuka wondered.

"Sheev Palpatine. He was the one who established the Galactic Empire and abolished the Old Republic. But he didn't fully crush everyone; many opposed him for many years, stealing supplies and information that we can use to fight back. Even non-humans joined in as well since they have suffered the brunt of the Empire's cruel acts."

"It's true." Krel reinforced with some contempt. "Me and some of my friends suffered from slavery even if we didn't do anything wrong, used to manufacture some of the Empire's weapons projects."

"I feel sorry for what happened to you and your friends." Gaius expressed his sympathy. "You shoudn't deserve this."

"I know, but I'm returning the favor and that's why I fight with you guys here."

"Thank you, Krel."

"It wasn't until more than a year ago when we finally killed him and shattered his forces." Max continued. "Though the Empire is still around after that, they are crippled enough that we were able to score victory after victory and during those times, the New Republic was born."

"And about the battle in which the Empire was defeated once and for all?" Piña asked.

"You mean the Battle of Jakku, right? Yep...that's the battle which made the Empire lose the war."

When they approached the hill, the convoy decided to stop to allow Luger and Max to head inside the camp and to inspect the modifications of their X-wings. To their surprise, the camp has expanded considerably into a small base which includes various T-47 airspeeders, standard X-wings and other equipment.

"Look at that...the camp just grew into a base after our absence in here." Luger observed. "Do you think they are heading out to reinforce the others?"

"Likely, after all those Imperial attacks, guess command has decided to expand our capabilities." Max agreed. "But they are probably careful on what they are doing here. This place could become a sitting duck if the fighting grows intense."

Piña and Tuka followed them where they felt the same thing.

"The hill...it almost looks like it doesn't resemble the one we know." Piña uttered at the sight.

"Your Highness, after what happened...I guess this is for the best." Tuka quietly responded. "For now, at least."

Piña nodded.

They then found a Mon Calamari officer walking with a Sullustan colleague discussing various reports. The former noticed him and asked his ally to allow the Mon Calamari to excuse himself to talk to the human pilots. The pilots, in turn, saluted.

"Sir, Captain Mikrak and Lieutenat Sternbolt of Halo Squadron reporting in." Max informed the officer while saluting.

"Oh, good timing." The offiicer responded. "Command was about to inform you about the progress on those modifications but that's okay since you are here right now."

He then turned his attention to the two ladies. Tuka then saluted in response.

"Private Tuka Luna Marceau, sir." She responded. "Dragon Company."

"And...I'm Princess Piña Co Lada." Piña followed shyly.

"Colonel Rix Marrab." The Mon Calamari introduced himself. "I'm in charge of the base's operations here. Now if you follow me gentlemen, we are going to show you something you will use at any notice."

"Yes, sir." The two male soldiers responded.

Marrab began to guide the group into a secured area where both duraplast panels and tarp were extensively used in order to hide the works of the engineers. Two Republic guards were at the entrance to only allowed authorized personnel to enter. When the group arrived, the colonel told them the pilot's identities for them to enter. The ladies, however, were barred from entering.

"Sorry, ma'am." One of the guards told them. "Authorized personnel only."

"What do you mean?" Piña asked. "I'm the princess of the Empire, Piña Co Lada."

"Ummm...maybe we should wait here until Luger and Max come back." Tuka suggested. "They are the pilots who are assigned to that idea."

"Fuhn...alright."

Suddenly, Marrab went back.

"Excuse them but let them enter." The colonel requested.

"Are you sure, sir?" The second guard questioned.

"Yes. I will allow them to see the progress."

The guards were nervous but decided to act on the order.

"Right away, sir." The first guard affirmed and the guards granted Tuka and Piña entry. "You may enter."

"Thank you, kind sir." Piña responded.

"Ladies, follow me." The three then went inside the area to meet up with Luger and Max. "What you are about to see is highly classified."

"Classified?" Piña was confused.

"Yes. We keep things secret from the regulars. I want you people not to spill a word out or we will be in a big heap of trouble."

"We will, sir." Tuka affirmed before they rejoined with Luger and Max.

"Tuka, Princess, glad you came here." Max said calmly.

"Uhhh...yes, we are. I want to see what your 'thing' looks like.

"You will."

"Milady, look over there." Tuka interrupted to let Piña see the X-wings.

"Whoa."

To their surprise, the X-wings of Halo Squadron were painted black after some hours of extensive work while retaining the red identification panels. Aside from that, other noticeable differences include a different laser cannon model in each end of the S-foils, different engines and upgraded systems needed to handle the modifications. Then, a blonde female Incom contractor went closer to the group.

"Ah, so you are here to see the progress of the X-wings, yes?" She asked the two pilots while holding her datapad.

"Yes, ma'am." Max affirmed. "We are inspecting our starfighters."

She then used her datapad to confirm the identities of the two men.

"You must be Captain Maximilian Mikrak of Halo Squadron, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"And the other one here is..."

"Lieutenant Luger Sternbolt, second-in-command." Luger confirmed the data.

"There it is, thank you." The contractor responded before introducing herself. "Estel Falsheye of Incom Corporation, nice to meet you gentlemen."

"You too. Now can you please tell us about those modifications that are made?"

"Oh yes, I will." Estel nodded before showing the pilots and, indirectly, Tuka and Piña the modified X-wings. "When we heard about those modified TIE fighters, it presented an opportunity for the company to expand our most successful product. So much so that General Talor and Admiral Ackbar has invited my team to come here in secret. We are not allowed to disclose anything oustide the Board of Directors and us and we have swore an oath not to do so to maintain security over the project."

"I see." Max nodded.

"On to the upgrades: your X-wings are being heavily modified to suit the current situation on this planet. In addition to upgraded 4j.4 fusial thrust engines, the armaments are quite deadlier than the regular types."

"I don't get it." Piña doesn't understand what Estel is saying. "Tuka, can you understand them?"

"Not much." The elf shook her head.

"Four prototype Taim & Bak KX10 laser cannons would whip an Imperial pilot's ass quickly thanks to its better firepower. The computers and cryogenic power generators are also upgraded to cope with that."

"Neat." Luger commented. "Is there anything more?"

"The proton torpedoes remains the same, though. We were planning to include mag-pulse warheads but delays in development meant that we have to scrap it for the time being." Estel elaborated further. "Nevertheless, we are still testing them back at our facilities."

"Bummer." Max felt disappointed. "I was hoping we could use an extra 'oomph' for our fighters."

"Just make use of what we have to offer, Max. Oh, by the way...as of today, me and my team will be your ground crew to maintain your starfighters."

"Thank you for the help. It's much appreciated." Luger kindly responded which made Estel smile.

"I'll give you the instructions on how to use the upgrades. You need to do some homework if you want to skillfully use those birds. Estimated time of completion is about two to three weeks. Plenty of time to iron out the kinks."

"Well, we'll be on our way." Max said in their decision to resume the expedition.

"Take care of yourselves." Marrab wished to them.

 **XXXXXXX**

The convoy resumed their trip south as Krel was busy reading something on his datapad. Lelei took notice since she was beside him. What she didn't understand was the fonts; they were written in a language unfamiliar to her.

"What are you reading?" She asked.

"I was reading some history of the planet of Takodana." Krel answered before noticing her struggle to understand the writings. "Oh...so you can't read this, right?"

Lelei nodded in response.

"Okay, I'll tell you what I am reading." Krel began to tell her the information.

"So what is it about "Ta-ko-da-na?""

"Well, many consider it as one of the places where they can escape war, pollution and other problems in their worlds. Travelers and criminals alike would enjoy the relative calm the planet has to offer."

"Criminals go there?" Lelei was surprised.

"Yeah, kid. Even them. There is even a cantina that allows everyone to join in eating...as long as no one is fighting; the owner is very strict about it. I even go there a few times before joining the Rebellion."

"And about those strange writings, what are those?"

"It's Aurebesh."

"Auu-ree-beesh."

"The standard writing system. We always use it whenever we have to type or write using a pen."

Lelei was curious about the writings.

"May I try to write down as well? I would like to learn more about your civilization."

"Okay, I'll help ya out."

Using the datapad, Krel began to teach Lelei how to use Aurebesh in writing documents, slowly allowing her to understand the writings on the device. As it continues, one Republic soldier took note of the scene.

"Speaking of Takodana, I've heard there was a discovery there that took place a long time ago." He tries to remember.

"Do you know about that thing?" Raker asked.

"Well...if I can recall, that took place about two hundred years ago. Once, there are explorers doing a hike in the woods when they stumbled upon an arch structure with some elegant carvings on the pillars and when they entered it, boom! News began to spread when they found another world."

"Hummmm...that is explosive." Another soldier hummed with agreement.

"After that, the Jedi Council took notice of it and sent two delegates to check it out. When they have returned, whatever they have seen are kept secret, probably to make sure no one took advantage of this. And seven months later, it poofed out of existence all by itself."

""Poofed"...out of existence?!" Some of the nearby soldiers reacted which grabbed the attetion of the other passengers.

"Yes, really!" The soldier answered.

Piña began to wonder what the soldier said but there is one thing that crosses her mind.

"Is he referring to the the holy Gate?" Piña thought. "It can't be..."

"Speaking of which, I have a small story to tell to you guys as well."

"Please, go ahead." Max decided to join in.

"One time during the Clone Wars, I was part of a raiding party tasked to retrieve data of special interest to the Old Republic. A Jedi by the name of Marhell Chesed was part of the efforts as well. It was a difficult battle, losing pilots and some good men fighting to retrieve it."

Max then began to remember something.

"Hmmm...Chesed, Chesed. Since when did I heard that name before? It's been a long time."

"You'll figure it out...eventually." Raker uttered with encouragement. "Anyway, we were at Bakura boarding a Separatist dreadnought and the moment we have found it, all it showed was unknown code. We weren't able to decipher much as far as we are concerned."

"I hope no one took hold of it."

"Me too. If the Empire were to have it...probably they would have won the war. Endor wouldn't have happened, Yavin wouldn't have happened. Think about the possibilities they would do."

Max nodded before the comlink began to pick-up a transmission from the spotter.

"Colonel, we have spotted potential fighting 1000 meters ahead of us." He reported.

"Any Imperial soldiers?" Raker requested confirmation.

"Negative, no Imperial forces at this time. It appears that a settlement is under attack. What are your orders, sir?"

Raker began thinking of possible options in order to handle the situation. After a few seconds, he had made his decision.

"Whatever it is, we shouldn't just leave it be."

"Roger. We'll close in."

He then began to inform Piña about the situation.

"Princess, looks like road trip will have to wait for a while."

"Anything wrong?"

"Yeah. Unknown forces are attacking a village and there is no Imperial activity at this time." Raker confirmed.

"Alright guys, prepare to disembark." Max ordered and the soldiers began to arm their blasters for a fight. "Set to 'stun' first. If things get ugly, let 'em have live laser fire."

"Roger!" They responded.

The AT-TE began to lower the legs before the doors are opened to allow Republic soldiers to disembark. The troops then head for the village as fast as they could. Rory then took notice.

"Heyyyy! Where are you people going?" Rory shouted.

"The settlement over there!" Luger answered. "We have a situation going on!"

Rory was starting to feel an opportunity. However, due to her position as the Apostle of Emroy, she began to feel the souls of the dead and feel sexually aroused in the process.

"Aahhh...not now!" She began to moan which made Luger and Tuka take notice.

"Rory, what's wrong?" Tuka asked.

"Go! I'll be fine."

Max then went closer after hearing her moaning.

"Is something wrong?" Max asked.

"Rory wants us to go ahead."

"Okay then..."

 **XXXXXXX**

In the village, the bandits began their bloody adventure of looting, rape and murder as the villagers were terrified of what is going on.

"Nooo! Spare us please!" A mother of two pleaded but the bandit did not listen and took her anyway. "Aaaaahhh!"

"I have her!" The bandit shouted in glee "I have her!"

"Aaaaaahhh!"

"Alisha!" The husband who is fighting the bandits shouted in shocked beforw the bandit stabbed him in the chest. "Gaahhh!"

"Noooooo!" A loud wail came from her as her husband was killed right in front of her eyes.

When Republic forces are closing in, the scope of the atrocities were slowly revealed which shocked everyone, especially those who have endured the Galactic Empire's harsh sentences. Blood and gore were everywhere.

"Tck! Damn all." Raker cursed.

"Bandits...that settles it." Mikrak uttered with anger. "We have no choice but to use live fire."

"Get the survivors the moment we went inside."

"Copy."

The bandits took notice of the soldiers

"Boss, soldiers are coming in!" One of them informed the bandit leader.

"Get 'em and steal whatever they have." He granted.

"Yes, boss." He then turned his attention to his brethren. "Men, it's time to take them down!"

"Hoo-raah!" They shouted in unison and began chargin at the Republic soldiers.

"Here they come, open fire!" Krel shouted and the soldiers pulled the trigger to release the blaster bolts, slowly mowing down the bandit forces.

"Aaahh, what is this?!" One of them reacted before being hit himself.

"Go, go, go! Get the survivors to safety!" One Republic soldier barked.

The Republic began to repel the bandits as they desperately try to mount an effective counterattack, not knowing what they are facing with. Tuka, alongside a fellow soldier, looked house-to-house for survivors. Upon entering one, they have spotted a bandit holding a young woman at knifepoint with a dagger.

"Leave or she dies!" He warned.

"Stay calm." The soldier suggested to Tuka and a nod from the latter was shown.

"Release her. I promise you can have our staves." She offered a proposal.

"Really?" The bandit reacted.

"Really."

"Private Marceau, are you crazy?" The Republic soldier reacted.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

The fellow soldier was having a hard time trying to refuse but decided to go with Tuka's idea with a nod. The two soldiers dropped their blaster rifles in an acceptable gesture. Feeling happy with the proposal, the bandit lets his hostage go and she went to the two soldiers still feeling traumatized by the experience.

"You okay, ma'am?" Tuka asked.

"I'm fine but...what are you elves doing? Your staves..."

"Trust us."

The bandit gullibly went to the blasters and began holding one. Excited, he thought that he will become a powerful mage among the bandits that will bring gory glory to his allies, but the two soldiers are not letting it happen.

"Yes! The power is mine!" He declared but the appearance made him confused. "Huh? What kind of staff is this?"

"Hrraaa-ah!" Tuka landed a kick on the abdomen.

"Uaahh!" The bandit reacted to the pain before falling to the floor.

"Ma'am, you are safe now." The male soldier confirmed.

"Thank you, sir...who are you anyway?"

"Lieutenant Lowel Aschersi, New Republic."

"Private Tuka Luna Marceau."

"Thank you, people."

Outside, Raker was scoring three kills easily while engaging the bandits. Luger then came close to assist him.

"How many bandits do they have? That's insane!" Luger questioned.

"This village is caught off guard, kid. Well-organized in my opinion." Raker nodded before noticing a bandit behind Luger. "Luger, behind you!"

Luger looked back and noticed the bandit brandishing his sword. He dodged the attack before using his arm and the stock of the blaster to melee him.

"That's one for me, colonel."

"Stay focused. We still have some potential stragglers."

They then moved away from the two houses where they have fought off some of the bandits and began to head for the entry point to make sure no bandit escapes the village. Upon arrival, however, the two saw a five bandits taking with them two children.

"Let them go!" Luger demanded while aiming his blaster.

"Or what?" One of the bandits responded.

"If you don't comply, we will rescue them by force!"

"Please, mister!" One of the children pleaded.

"Help..." Another followed.

Luger and Raker were careful not to make any sudden movements that would threaten the lives of the children.

"Hehe." A feminine mirth was heard and it caught the bandits off guard.

"Huh?" It was a reaction the bandits uttered. They turned their backs away from Luger and Raker only to find a familiar figure in a black dress with red frills standing in front of them.

"It can't be..."

"It's...It's..."

"Rory?" Luger uttered while staring at her.

"It's her, the Apostle of Emroy! Ruuuunn!" The bandits reacted as they immediately released the children and began to flee from her. The children then went to Luger and Raker.

"You okay?" Raker asked.

"Yeah. We're fine."

"Where are you going?" Rory taunted as she began to slaughter the bandits as punishment. "Emroy requests your presence."

Two bandits tried to fight back but Rory grabbed hold of one of the axes and sliced off the head of a bandit. Luger and Raker, for their part, used the 'stun' function on their blasters to neutralize two more bandits.

"Spare me, please!" The last bandit pleaded before Rory grabbed hold of his neck and snapped it.

The two surviving bandits, now under the mercy of the New Republic forces alongside Rory, were kneeling in fear.

"It's over." Luger declared.

"Thank you everyone for saving us." The boys thanked the men and Rory.

"Sure."

The boys heard loud footsteps which are not of a living being and they saw where it came from.

"Look, over there!" One of them reacted.

"Whoa...what is that?"

Not far ahead, the convoy arrived before the driver of the AT-TE got out of his post to meet with Raker.

"There you are, Miss Mercury." The driver sighed.

"Pixsacher, what are you doing here?" Raker asked.

"Sorry sir but while we are keeping her calm, she just went trigger-happy all of a sudden and jumped away from the convoy towards your position. A bit more like a Jedi."

"Thank you. The village needs medical attention, multiple injuries. Inform the others."

"Right away, sir!" Pixsacher then left to get the medical supplies with the aid of his crew. Raker then turned his attention to Rory.

"Is that so?"

"Well, it's part of what I do." Rory elaborated.

"What do you mean?"

"I can help." Lelei offered an explanation.

"Go ahead, Lelei." Luger allowed her to talk.

"You see as an Apostle for Emroy, whenever a soul pass through her during a nearby battle, she acts like feeling aroused. If atrocities are committed, she will become a cold-hearted fighter against those who did them."

"I see." Raker nodded.

Cato was speechless when he exited the walker. The devastation has wrecked his village straight to the core.

"Coda...I wasn't expecting that to happen." He bowed his head in empathy.

 **XXXXXXX**

Minutes passed as relief efforts are under way. Medical stations were being set up to assist the injured. Fresh food and water from the supply skiffs were being distributed and surviving family members reunite while mourning those that they lost.

"Breathe easy." A medic said as he is tending a wounded villager who is impaled on the right knee. "There, there."

The two boys Luger and Raker rescued were looking for their parents. A woman with her hazel hair tied up in a ponytail made them recognize her.

"Mom!" They reacted upon seeing their mother.

"Boys!" Alisha cried upon reuniting with her children.

"What happened to Papa." The one with grey-and-brown clothing asked.

"I'm sorry..." These were the words confirming their father's death.

"Move the AT-TE and the T2-Bs over there." Raker requested nearby. "I don't want to see anymore shocks from the locals."

"On it, sir." Pixsacher complied.

While these were going on, a man on horseback wearing armour arrived only to see Coda reeling from the attack.

"What just happened here?" He asked himself before dismounting. Two Republic soldiers began to close in to attend his presence. "Excuse me, but what happened here?"

"There is a bandit attack that gripped the village here." One of the soldiers answered. "We are currently assisting the survivors as we speak."

"Oh, my...but I need to rest for the night. I am resuming my journey the next day as a messenger for King Duran of Elbe."

"I see. You may proceed."

"Thank you." The man returned to his horse to continue on to the village. There, the full scope of both the efforts and the damage from the battle were revealed. He then found Piña in one of the tents talking to another Republic soldier before leaving.

"Your Highness." The messenger called her while bowing in respect.

"Yes, I'm here." She answered.

"What are you doing with these men in green?"

"I was with them to provide assistance in their journey. A war is about to start soon."

"A war?" The messenger was nervous. "Against who?"

"None of the kingdoms or the Empire for that matter. Only...the Galactic Empire."

"And those men who you were with?"

"Their enemies, the New Republic. They are the ones who protected the village from the bandit attack and are currently helping the villagers."

"No wonder. Moving on from that, King Duran requests an audience with you."

"Why would he?"

"He wants to talk about a threat we have not expected. An alliance would help crush this mysterious army."

"I will inform their superiors about it."

"Please do."

"As you wish, Your Highness." Piña then head for Luger.

"Luger, tell Max and Raker about this: I am currently being summoned by the King of Elbe, Duran. Something tells me that the Galactic Empire is doing this."

"We will, Your Highness." Luger agreed. "Let's all go there, you navigate where to go."

"Thank you."

 **XXXXXXX**

In Italica, Skywalker, Talor and Varad were being briefed by Max on their latest development.

"We made contact with a messenger from the Kingdom of Elbe." He explained. "Princess Piña is being summoned to discuss an alliance between the two kingdoms and they believed that the Imperials are pulling the strings of the situation."

"Anything else?" Talor asked.

"We'll be leaving for Elbe tomorrow. A village suffered an attack from bandits early this day and we are currently assisting them in relief efforts."

"Alright." Skywalker agreed. "Turn on your beacon for further relief."

"Copy." The holoprojector transmission then ended.

The three commanders began to ponder on the latest news.

"It appears that the Empire is scrambling to get some allies here." Shyla thought. "That's no good."

"It's likely, Varad." Luke agreed. "General, what's the latest development on the fleet?"

"Two Nebulon frigates are scheduled to return to Endor to reinforce the Core Worlds as we speak in two days and a CR90 is also returning to solve some issues with one of the radiation shields in the engine bay."

"I see."

"If the Republic keeps on recalling the ships here due to the situations in the galaxy and suffer constant breakdowns, chances are that the Empire will exploit this weakness."

"That, we have to watch our backs as well." Talor agreed with Shyla. "We can use the terrain we have explored to set up ambushes and traps."

"That's fine by me."

"Skywalker, is this enough?"

"That should suffice for now. Varad, Talor, I'll be resuming my journey with San Tekka. We still have much lore to look forward to."

"You may, Skywalker." Talor nodded.

"I understand, Commander Skywalker. Take care of you two." Shyla said

"May the Force be with you as well." Luke then left the room Varad and Talor were in.

 _A/N: Chapter 12 is here. Don't worry, the fanfic will continue as usual._ Infinite Warfare _just kept me kind of busy for some time._


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